New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) Slamming the NDA government for its “divisive and anti-people” policies, the Congress on Monday said it should instead return to the people the India as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi where all communities can live together peacefully, rather than creating a “new India” that is witnessing lynchings and other killings for religious polarisation, rapes and only false promises.

Participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address to the joint session of Parliament, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Narendra Modi government is a “name changer” and not a “game changer”, since it keeps repackaging old schemes.

“Don’t divide the country. Return back our India. We don’t need a new India. We want our old India of Gandhi (Mahatma), where the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians gave blood to each other. We don’t need the India where there is polarisation for vote bank. What kind of a new India is it where eight-month-old girls are being raped?” Azad said.

Azad also countered the corruption allegations against his Congress party, pointing out that those allegedly involved in the 2G spectrum allocation case had emerged clean after a court trial.

“This government always says that it is a game changer… it is not a game changer but just a name changer,” the former Union Minister said, adding that “I have a long list (showing) that names of all schemes launched since 1985 or later under the Congress rule have been changed”.

The pillars that formed the present government’s foundations, namely allegations of corruption against the Congress, were falling one by one, Azad said.

“In the biggest allegation made against the Congress — 2G case — all the accused were acquitted by a CBI court,” he said.

“Had it happened during our tenure, it would have been alleged that the government influenced it.”

The senior Congress leader supported the Triple talaq Bill but raised questions on the government’s intention on targeting a section of the Muslim community.

“We are in favour of it but it is unfair to create a divide between husband and wife by sending the husband to jail.

“Criminalising Triple Talaq is very dangerous. Earlier, you (BJP) divided the Muslims in the name of Shia and Sunni, now you are trying to divide husband and wife. This community is already poor and backward and are living under fear after lynchings,” Azad said.

Describing the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government’s promise of doubling the farmers’ income by 2022 as “hollow”, the Congress leader said it requires a huge investment of Rs 6.40 lakh crore that the government had not provided in the Union Budget for 2018-19.

“This will never happen and the farmers’ income will never double,” he said.

He also hit out at the government over its Kashmir policy and said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is not good and that a large number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan have been witnessed under the current dispensation.

“The situation in the state is at its worst. In the last 70 years, this government has proved to be the weakest,” he said.

Criticising the new health insurance scheme announced in the Budget, the Congress leader said it would benefit only the insurance companies and not the 50 crore poor people for whom it is meant.

He also referred to the Bofors case and underlined that the Attorney General had advised the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in one of the cases related to the alleged scam, as the SLP could be dismissed by the Supreme Court.

Referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s charges of dynasty politics in the Congress, as mentioned by BJP President Amit Shah while initiating the debate, Azad said: “No one from that family (Nehru-Gandhi family) has become the Prime Minister of India for more than 30 years. They have also not been a part of the government…

“Why are you so scared of some leaders (even) when they are not alive anymore? Now you fear their children,” he said.

Azad said that while the BJP accused the Congress of politics of appeasement, only those with a tilt towards “one party” were getting key government posts in the present government.

He also slammed the government over the price rise and questioned the launch of their flagship schemes without any spadework.

Azad quoted a Right to Information query and said that so far Rs 550 crore had been spent just on the publicity of the Swachh Bharat campaign. Quoting another study, he said that only 35 per cent toilets constructed under the programme were sustainable.

Referring to allegations against BJP President Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, Azad made a tongue-in-cheek remark: “The BJP has a ‘scheme’ which can multiply money manifolds. It has the original scheme to turn Rs 50,000 to over Rs 80,00,00,000, but they don’t share it with us. If they do, everyone will be happy.”

–IANS
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