Must protect idea of India which BJP govt seeks to extinguish: Sonia

The Congress on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, alleging that there was a brazen campaign to straitjacket the country into a regressive and narrow-minded world view.

Chairing a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, the party's highest decision-making body, Sonia asked partymen to be ready for 2019 elections to protect the essence and idea of India, which this government is seeking to "extinguish".

Apart from taking stock of the political situation in the country, the CWC discussed the upcoming presidential and vice presidential elections. It also approved the schedule for organisational elections.

With the meeting taking place in the backdrop of raging debates over contentious issues like cattle slaughter, the Congress chief alleged that "divisive issues are being whipped up and there is an assault on livelihood and food habits of those who follow different tenets and beliefs".

She said, "Where there was economic potential, there is stagnation. Where there was rich diversity, there is a brazen campaign to straitjacket the whole country into a regressive and narrow-minded world view."

Emphasising that the current crisis in Jammu and Kashmir is due to the "colossal failure" of the government, she said the "insensitive" handling of the situation by both the state and central governments are systematically alienating and antagonising the local people, especially the youth.

"A divisive agenda is being followed which has undone years of goodwill and progress," she said.