Teen saal desh behaal, yehi hai BJP ka kamaal: Cong to expose BJP's failures

Come 26 May and BJP will embark on grand celebrations to mark three years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

The celebrations will begin with the Prime Minister addressing the nation from Guwahati on 26 May. This will be followed by visits to four other cities.

In addition, the government will hold programmes across 900 cities, launch a new campaign under the name of New India, give advertisements on the central government's achievement in print, radio and television, hold press briefings with senior ministers and undertake several such initiatives to celebrate three years of its tenure.

Congress’ master plan

The Congress too is planning to hold meetings across the country, but for a different purpose entirely.

Collaborating with like-minded parties, the main Opposition party plans to expose the failed promises of the Modi government. It plans to launch an all-India campaign over the next 24 months to enlighten people about the failures of the Modi government, particularly the promise of ‘achhe din’.

Speaking to the media, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the party, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, would expose the failures of the Modi government. 

In fact, the Congress on 16 May fielded its young brigade, who took on the Modi government over multiple issues including job creation, women safety, Kashmir crisis, internal security, rising atrocities on Dalits, farmer suicides, secularism, intolerance, among others.

‘Three years, 30 tricks’

The party also made a power point presentation on the failures of the BJP government on multiple fronts and called it “Three years, 30 tricks” wherein it highlighted failures of the government on bringing back the black money, renaming UPA's schemes, GST, Aadhar, Digital India, Skill India, Lok Pal, MGNREGS, rising prices, cleaning Ganga, crop insurance, Minimum Support Price, special packages to Bihar and J&K, among various others. 

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi set the agenda when he took pot shots at the ruling party and tweeted:

Later in the day, the Congress fielded Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, RPN Singh, Sushmita Dev and Divya Spandana who spoke on these issues, particularly on growing intolerance, flawed foreign policy, atrocities on dalits, farmers among others. While addressing the media, Scindia pointed that when BJP government came to power they gave hope by selling the dream of ‘acche din’ in the country but in the last three years they have shattered that dream. 

“There is an environment of intolerance prevailing in the country. If anybody discusses it, they are termed as anti-national. This government decides what the people should eat, learn and wear. It tries to push its policies based on a regimented 'soch vichar' (ideological approach),” he said.

Scindia went on to add that women are unsafe, farmer’s suicides are prevalent and unemployment is on the rise. He said that people of this country want to know when will the acche din arrive. Blaming the ruling dispensation of spreading an anti-Dalit sentiment across the nation, Scindia claimed that ‘they’ want a Dalit free nation. He went on to cite the Rohit Vemula incident and spoke of how Dalits were assaulted by gau rakshaks in Una.

“They promised minimum government and maximum governance but what is happening is totally opposite. Mahatma Gandhi was removed from the Khadi diaries while Prime Minister's photo was put there. They attacked institutions like FTTI, NIT to Hyderabad Central University and when the media did try to raise such issues, then were threatened with blackout,” he said.

He then raised questions about the autonomy of the RBI, which he claimed is now working under tremendous pressure from the government. Accusing the NDA of not believing in discussing issues, Congress' chief whip in Lok Sabha said that they possess a rigid mindset which is very much like 'it is my way or the highway'. 

He also raised the Kashmir issue and said, “On to the issue of internal security, let me tell you that Kashmir is on boil since last July. Don't the people of Kashmir deserve development, what are the steps this government is taking to provide them development?”

Scindia claimed how Naxalism has witnessed tremendous growth in the past threes years which led to security personnel sacrificing their lives. “The only thing which this government says is that it will avenge it but no steps are being taken in this regard,” he added. 

Scindia further added that India's foreign policy is changing like seasons and questioned what steps are being taken against Pakistan. “Teen saal desh behaal yehi hai BJP ka kamaal,” he said.

BJP’s diversion tactics

Meanwhile, former Union minister Sachin Pilot highlighted the plight of farmers and claimed that they are the worst sufferers under this regime. “There is no debate on burning issues and by holding discussions on controversial issues, BJP government is diverting people's attention,” he said.

Pilot went on to add that it is only Congress that can provide a better alternative model of governance to the people of the country and that the Congress would go the extra mile to expose the failures of the incumbent government. “We will prepare a blueprint of an alternative model of governance and not by selling lies to the people,” he said. 

To take their attack further, Congress is planning to field senior leaders in the days to come to corner the Modi government and it is likely that these leaders would keep raising the failed policies of the government in the next 10 days.

Edited by Aleesha Matharu