ALL INDIA CONGRESS COMMITTEE
24, AKBAR ROAD, NEW DELHI
COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT
Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, MP, Spokesperson AICC addressed the media at AICC Hdqrs. today.
Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi said – Indian National Congress strongly condemns the violent desecration of our national icon – Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, the great educationist, the man who changed the Bengali alphabet and type, Sanskrit scholar, reformer who brought in the Widow Remarriage Act and fought for women’s education orthodoxy. We are deeply pained that such a shameful incident took place.
A new politics where ‘Mobocracy’ is being actively encouraged and abetted by the ruling party- the BJP in the country has gained ground in the past 5 years. PM Modi & Shri Amit Shah led BJP are squarely responsible for systematically damaging the cultural identity of each state in India.
Federal Structure, Respect for Regional Aspirations, Culture, Language, Food Habits, and Identity of Indigenous People are under attack by the BJP in EVERY state of the country. This negative politics of ‘destruction, demolition and discretion’ are methodically vitiating the political atmosphere of the country. BJP wants to exert its monolithic supremacy and bigoted agenda on each state, thus weakening the federal polity.
Congress President, Shri Rahul Gandhi has taken upon himself to protect the culture, identity, language of the various states which make India. This is one of the strongest reasons why Shri Rahul Gandhi is fighting elections from both North India (Amethi) & from South India (Wayanad)- so that all parts of India feel united under the common umbrella of the Congress party.
Disrespect for National Icons and hegemony of their own ideology is reflective of the BJP’s mindset:-
We must recall that none less than a member of BJP National President, Shri Amit Shah’s team; Shri H Raja pledged to destroy the statue of great social reformer, Periyar. Later BJP Gen Sec, Shri Ram Madhav actively justified pulling down statues, but no action was taken against him. Later,
A bust of National icon Dr Ambedkar was found splashed with red paint in north Chennai.
In February this year, members of a fringe Right Wing group associated with the SanghParivar shameless reenacted the scene of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination by shooting the effigy of Bapuwith an air pistol after garlanding a picture of his assassin NathuramGodse in Uttar Pradesh.
Condemnable policiesof the Modi Govt for various states have precipitated this situation:-
Modi Govt did not grant the Special Status to Andhra Pradesh, as per the AP Reorganization Act and adequate funds to Telangana were also not devolved.
Federal Structure is dead. Democracy was systematically mauled & kidnapped in State after state – Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur& Meghalaya.
BJP Govt in Arunachal Pradesh inflicted violence and played with the sensitivities of the people when it sought to impose the controversial Permanent Resident Certificates for 6 non-tribal communities
Modi Government politics of division was in full form, after it brought in the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), which was opposed tooth and nail in many states of North East. This was a direct assault on the indigenous people of the North East.
Jammu and Kashmir was promised 80,000 Cr by the Modi Government, but only 31% of the package was delivered to the state by Modi Govt
During Bihar elections, PM Modi shamelessly bid for the future of Bihar and promised 1.25 Lakh Crore package for Bihar. But even after 2 years, not a single penny has been released.
Modi Govt claimed 42% devolution towards states, but not even in one year of its term , it has achieved that threshold! It has never breached the 35% mark.
Modi Govt’s so called ‘increased devolution’ turned out that to be a cruel joke as the Centre abandoned schemes and burdened the states. They cut the number of centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) from 70 to just 27 and also cut contribution in many CSS from 75 per cent to 50 per cent. This effectively means States are getting less as their share of tax revenue, and a pittance for the share of centrally sponsored schemes. What the Modi Government has ensured is that though the aggregate jump in devolution has been 10%, the corresponding cut in CSS has eaten away the so called ‘10%’ increase in devolution.
Further, PM Modi that paraded Co-operative Federalism as an ‘article of faith’ hasn’t even released the funds to states, with reports stating that the Centre has only achieved a third of devolution thereby starving states of funds needed for vital welfare schemes like education and health.
SC-ST Sub Plan for backward regions, funds of which were meant for states was abolished by the Modi Government.
Special incentives for Hill States & Himalayan States have also been discontinued.
National Development Council (NDC) has been dissolved and powers granted to NitiAayog
In Manipur University, Modi Govt appointed an RSS Vice Chancellor in order to enforce its bigoted agenda.
For Nagaland, PM Modi’s much publicised “Naga Accord” is Non Existent
PM Modi had compared Kerala to Somalia and just yesterday, BJP President, Shri Amit Shah called West Bengal as “Kangaal Bangla”
On the question as to whether the congress party is ready to take the lead, Dr. Singhvi said as Shri Rahul Gandhi has been saying for the last two months, the people will take the lead and the people have taken the lead and the final part of lead will be known on 23rd. Thereafter, Congress party is certainly very much in the forefront of that political campaign and therefore, where is the question of asking the rhetorical question.
Sd/-
(Vineet Punia)
Secretary
Communication Deptt.
AICC
