BJP’s bid to polarise, Waqf Bill assault on Constitution: Sonia-OxBig News Network

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday called the Waqf Amendment Bill a “brazen assault” on Constitution, while terming it a part of the BJP’s strategy to keep the society in a state of permanent polarisation.

During the CPP general body meeting at Central Hall of old Parliament building, Gandhi said, “Yesterday, the Waqf Amendment Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha and today it is scheduled to come up in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill was, in effect, bulldozed through.”

She asserted: “Our party’s position is clear. The Bill is a brazen assault on the Constitution and is very much a part of the BJP’s deliberate strategy to keep our society in a state of permanent polarisation.”

She urged her party leaders to “expose” Modi’s “rebranding, repackaging and marketing” of the initiatives taken during the UPA government’s tenure. She also told the party cadre to raise the failures of the BJP government in Parliament. She also accused the Centre of dragging the country into an “abyss”. “Our Constitution will remain on paper; and their intention is to demolish that as well. It is vital for all of us to continue to fight for what is right and just, to expose Modi government’s failing and intention to turn India into a surveillance state,” she said.

“Of course, we all know that the PM has rebranded, repackaged and marketed numerous initiatives taken during 2004-2014 as his personal accomplishments. That too needs to be exposed through our public outreach activities,” she said.

The Congress leader accused the BJP MPs of aggressively targeting the Opposition-led state governments with ‘falsehoods’, especially during zero hour. “I think all of you should be equally aggressive in raising their failures and misgovernance in the BJP-ruled states.”

Gandhi said the government was not accommodative of the Opposition in Parliament. She highlighted instances during the ongoing session when the Opposition was not allowed to discuss issues raised by them.

She also expressed concern over Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha “not getting permission” to speak when they wanted to.

She also termed the ‘One Nation, One Election Bill’ another “subversion” of the Constitution. She expressed resentment over the non-implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill, which was passed by both Houses two years ago. She said, “The Bill continues to be wilfully ignored along with the other demand for one-third reservation for women belonging to SCs, STs and OBC communities.”

She further alleged that the RTI, MGNREGA, Forest Rights Act and the Land Acquisition Act — four transformative laws enacted during Manmohan Singh’s Prime Ministership — were being diluted. She said the National Food Security Act, 2013, had ensured food security for 80 crore Indians, but, at least 14 crore have been denied their legal entitlements due to the government’s failure to conduct the census that was due in 2021.

Govt blamed for attack on Christian priests

• The Congress on Thursday lambasted the BJP government over the assault on two Christian priests in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur, alleging that “systematic hatred” was being unleashed on the minorities to impose the party’s “divisive agenda”.
•  Party leader KC Venugopal said, “It’s just another day in modified India. The brutal attack on Christian priests in Jabalpur is not an isolated incident; it’s a reflection of the ruling regime’s agenda of spreading hatred and dividing people on religious lines.” — TNS