New Delhi, December 21
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the Modi government for refusing a parliamentary debate on the LAC situation, saying silence on matters of serious concern “has become its defining feature”.
Chairing a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) in Parliament, Sonia said refusing a debate on such a serious issue as Chinese incursions showed “the government’s disrespect for our democracy, reflects poorly on its intentions and demonstrates its inability to bring the nation together”.
Poor intentions
Refusing a debate on such a serious issue (LAC incursions) shows the government’s disrespect for our democracy and reflects poorly on its intentions. —Sonia Gandhi
She also accused the Centre of trying to belittle the judiciary. “A troubling new development is the calculated attempt underway to delegitimise the judiciary. Ministers have been making speeches attacking the judiciary on various grounds. It is quite clear that this is not an effort to provide reasonable suggestions for improvement. Rather, it is an effort to reduce the standing of the judiciary in the eyes of the public,” she alleged, while addressing party parliamentarians from both Houses. On the LAC issue, Sonia said it had been the tradition to take Parliament into confidence when facing a significant national challenge. “A debate can shed light on several critical questions such as what has emboldened China to continually attack India, what preparations have been made to repel these attacks and what more needs to be done?” she said.
Persistent efforts by the Opposition to persuade the government to allow a discussion in Parliament on the LAC stand-off have failed with the presiding officers of both Houses turning down adjournment notices given by Opposition members on the issue.
“Besides blocking the debate, the government is actively engaged in targeting the Opposition and any questioning voices, undermining the institutions which stand in their way, and manipulating the media,” Sonia said, adding this was happening not only in the Centre, but in every state where the ruling party was in power.
Sonia said the country was also facing other significant challenges in the form of inflation, unemployment, social polarisation and weakening of democratic institutions.
