Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge released a critique on the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre on Thursday called “Black Paper” accusing it of failure on many fronts, including employment and inflation.
While releasing the document titled “10 Saal Anyay Kaal (2014-2024)” (ten-year period of injustice) at a press conference here, Kharge reiterated the Opposition INDIA bloc’s resolve to retrieve the country from the alleged “anyay” (injustice) by the ruling dispensation this year, in an apparent reference to the upcoming general elections.
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The Congress chief said, “We are releasing a ‘Black Paper’ against the government because whenever Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi presents his views in Parliament, again and again he highlights his achievements and hides his failures. At the same time, when we speak about the failures of the government, it is not given importance. So, we are bringing out a “Black Paper” against the government to apprise the public about its failures.”
On unemployment, one of the key issues highlighted in the “Black Paper”, Kharge said, “Unemployment is a big issue in the country, but the Modi Government never talks about it. They (the government) always compare (their) 10 years (with the tenure of the first prime minister of India), but never tell about the achievements of the (former prime minister) Jawaharlal Nehru.”
Referring to the prime minister’s reply to the Motion of Thanks on President’s address in Parliament, he said, “He (Modi) doesn’t speak on unemployment, inflation and farmers in the Parliament. He brings other things that are irrelevant.”
Kharge further said that the prime minister did not mention about the employment generated by the public sectors established during Nehru’s tenure.
In an apparent bid to draw the attention towards the protest by the government of Karnataka and Kerala in the national capital, he said, “In many states including Karnataka and Kerala, there is discrimination (by the Centre). Non-BJP ruled states are being neglected.”
Asserting that there was a danger to the democracy under the ruling dispensation, Kharge, who is also the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, “Modi Government is extorting money from people. This money is being used to destroy democracy.”
Accusing the BJP of toppling elected governments in several states, including Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, he said, “In the last 10 years, they took around 411 MLAs on their side. Many of our elected governments were toppled.”
He also accused the government of misusing the Central probe agencies. “In 2024, INDIA alliance will bring India out of the ‘anyay’ meted out to the people by the BJP,” added Kharge.