NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday released a “black paper” to highlight the “failures” of the Modi government and alleged that the last 10 years have been a period of “injustice” and of “discrimination” against states headed by non-BJP dispensations.
The ‘black paper’, titled ‘10 saal anyay kaal’ also alleged that issues such as rising prices, unemployment, subversion of institutions and farmers’ “distress” had plagued the country.
Congress president Malllikarjun Kharge released the 54-page “chargesheet” against the Centre ahead of the government’s tabling in Parliament of a ‘white paper’ on the “mismanagement” of the economy prior to 2014 aimed at drawing lessons.
“Whenever PM (Narendra) Modi presents his views in Parliament, he hides his failures. At the same time, when we speak about the failures of the government, it is not given importance. Therefore, we thought of bringing out a black paper and telling the public about the failures of the government,” Kharge, who was flanked by party leaders Pawan Khera and Syed Naseer Hussain, said at a press conference at his residence here.
In a sharp attack at Prime Minister Modi over his claim that the Congress was creating a narrative to divide the country into north and south, Kharge said those who falsely accuse others of dividing the country and of regionalism, “those liars” do not even remember what they said.
In the presser, Kharge also alleged that there is a “danger to democracy” in the country and accused the BJP of attempting and also toppling elected governments.
“Non-BJP ruled states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh are being discriminated against and neglected. They (Centre) don’t release funds and then say we have released the funds but it was not spent. They purposely stall work... this is a big conspiracy of the BJP,” he alleged.
Kharge also alleged that the Modi government was “extorting” money through the route of electoral bonds.
“They are using this money to finish democracy. They made 411 MLAs cross over to their side. We had elected governments in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarkhand. You know how governments were made to fall,” he said.
Kharge also claimed that he got abusive calls a few days ago and he has got a case registered in a police station.
Sharing a link to the black paper, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh recalled that on January 4, 2014, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made two far reaching statements that are most relevant today.
“It encapsulates the Black Paper...Dr Manmohan Singh said: 1. History will be kinder to me. 2. It will be disastrous for the country to have
Shri Narendra Modi as
the Prime Minister. Both statements have been proved right today.”