Sonia Gandhi

Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Indian National Congress (INC) President Sonia Gandhi slammed Modi Government for using every organ of the state to target the political opponents and civil society activists as enemies. She also claimed that the BJP government was stifling dissent as terrorism or branded anti-national activity. 

In an article published on October 26th, which was later released by the Congress, Gandhi alleged that Indian economy was facing a deep crisis. ?But what is less appreciated is that all the pillars of a democratic system of the governance are under assault. The fundamental right to freedom of expression has been systematically suspended through suppression and intimidation. Dissent is deliberately stifled as ‘terrorism’ or branded as an anti-national activity, she said.
Of course, some of these threats are real and have to be dealt with uncompromisingly but the Modi government and the ruling BJP conjure up sinister conspiracies behind every political protest, indeed behind any and everything they see as opposition to them.
She further attacked Modi government claiming that ‘every organ of the State that could possibly be used to target political opposition has already been pressed into service- the Police, the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and even the Narcotics Control Bureau now dance only to the tune of the Prime Minister and Home Minister’s Office.
The BJP may have differences with dissenters and civil society activists. Indeed, the same activists have often protested against Congress governments as well. But to paint them as anti-national conspirators promoting communal violence is prejudicial and extremely dangerous for democracy, the INC President said.

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The Prime Minister repeatedly claims to repeatedly claims to represent 130 crore Indians. But his government and the ruling party are treating political opponents, dissenters, and those who did not vote for the ruling party as second-class citizens without democratic rights. The people of India are not just an electorate. They, and only they, are the nation, she added.