Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government for slashing financial programmes for states which are ruled by her party’s chief ministers.
Addressing mediapersons after Congress chief ministers’ conference at party’s headquarters, Gandhi said, “We had full discussion with chief ministers regarding Northeast and discussed our own UPA programmes. Our CMs have told us that Modi government is ignoring farmers. The special status to Northeast given away is causing problem to our chief ministers.”
She further added, “Financial programmes for states have been slashed by Modi government. They are only renaming UPA policies.”
Later, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi also addressed the media and took jibes at PM Modi.
“Modi govt has forgotten poor people. The roar of Make in India lion is not audible to the masses. Our CMs have told us that Modi government is not allocating funds properly. All CMs universally raised the point that although Modi Govt says that they are giving grants to them, they give money from one hand, they take it back from the other,” he said.
“There’s a big difference between Congress and BJP. Our CM’s are independent, we do not give them orders as to what is to be done,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi addressed her party’s CMs and said, “There is unprecedented centralisation of power and authority under the BJP rule. On the one hand, the PM wants to project himself as a champion of good governance, but on the other hand he allows his colleagues to make communal remarks.”
“The BJP government is making deliberate attempts to bypass Parliament, it is posing threats to civil society and the judiciary,” Sonia Gandhi said while adding, “There is a dangerous duplicitous game that is being played out.”
Sonia Gandhi also gave a word of caution to chief ministers of the Congress-ruled states, asking them to work in close collaboration with the Centre and in the best interest of people.
