Modi government has failed to match words with deeds: Sonia

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday mounted a frontal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming his promises as nothing more than "hawabaazi"(hot air) and his government failing abysmally to match its words with deeds.

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here, Sonia Gandhi accused Modi of "unedifying flip-flops" and lack of a coherent policy vis-a-vis Pakistan.

She said the Modi government had chosen to disregard the will of parliament and "displayed an inexplicable hurry to snatch land from our farmers". She also accused the Modi government of being "controlled and directed" by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh. (RSS).

Sonia called upon the party to institutionalise a mechanism to reward hard working workers and favoured affirmative action to give greater say to the marginalised sections in the party.

Sonia Gandhi, who began her speech by referring to the "draconian land ordinance" of the Modi government, said the U-turn on the ordinance is evidence that the government is out of touch with ground realities.

"It has become painfully clear that most of the pledges made by the prime minister during his election campaign were nothing more than 'hawa baazi'. The Modi government has failed abysmally to match words with deeds, to match media events with actual accomplishments, to match headlines with substance," she said.

Sonia Gandhi gave credit to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi for compelling the government to withdraw amendments on the land bill.

"Thanks to our party's sustained campaign, the government has been compelled to withdraw its anti-farmer amendments. The credit for this goes to every Congress worker who, under Rahul's active guidance, carried out a sustained agitation," she said.

"Similar campaigns will now need to be mounted against the assault on tribal welfare, on women and child welfare, on labour laws, on laws that protect the environment and forests, on RTI and on our flagship initiatives MGNREGA which are being systematically undermined," she added.

Stating that the economy was on a downslide while prices "continue on their unrelenting rise," Sonia Gandhi said the government had little to show on its promises for creation of jobs and slogans such as "Make in India".

She also accused the central government of systematically eroding the autonomy and integrity of vital institutions.

"Writers and progressive thinkers are being physically eliminated. The media is being threatened with notices and other repressive measures," the Congress president said.

"History is sought to be rewritten with special targeting of Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India and builder of democratic institutions. This should hardly come as a surprise to us," she said.

Referring to last week's coordination meet between the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party, she said: "The country last week was given clear evidence of what has been obvious for a long time" that the Modi government is controlled and directed by the RSS, whose agenda is well known to all of us.

She said the security situation in the country's neighbourhood has also deteriorated considerably.

"Our jawans and civilians are being increasingly targeted. Instead of a coherent policy on Pakistan, this government can't seem to make up its mind on what it should do. From aggressively mocking former prime minister Manmohan Singh and his policy during the election campaign, the prime minister has been reduced to unedifying flip-flops casting doubts on what he really stands for," she said.

Sonia Gandhi said the block committees and booth committees should be empowered and the party's priority should be to strengthen its existing support base while actively reaching out to new constituents.

"A transparent mechanism to recognise and reward hard working and performing workers should be institutionalised."

The CWC, the party's highest decision-making body, discussed the present political situation in the country and organisational issues. - IANS