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Heartless govt, says Cong exposing its 6 myths in 6 years
KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 5/30/2020 11:21:14 PM
NEW DELHI, May 30: A day after admission by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on completion of the first year of his second government that everyone suffered inconveniences in the Lockdowns due to coronavirus but that should not turn into disasters, the Congress on Saturday blasted it for "helpless people, heartless government" and said it was "a year of disappointments, disastrous management and diabolical pain.
Exposing six myths in six years of Modi coming to power in 2014, party general secretary K C Venugopal and chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala told a Press conference that India stands at a crossroad, with its citizens exhausted by the weight of this government's "sins, ineptitude and callous insensitivity to the widespread suffering.
At the end of six long years, they said the Modi-government appears to be at war with its people, inflicting wounds instead of healing them, not grasping the most fundamental lesson of governance in a democracy: We are elected to serve, listen, protect and uplift. Not to divide, mislead and distract. The sooner this Government realises that, the better it will be for the nation and for their own place in the history, they said.
"Over the last six years, India witnessed a steady increase in politics of distraction and false noise that served the political interests of the BJP that came at an unprecedented economic and social cost to the nation," they said in a joint statement recounting six myths perpetrated by the Prime Minister in six years as "even the most ordinary an mundane expectations of keeping a country running were beyond the capabilities of this government which promised "so much" and delivered "so very little." Six myths they shortlisted are:
MYTH ONE: VIKAS vs REALITY OF VOODOO MODINOMICS
Prime Minister Modi sold his brand of administration in one word "Vikas" with the catchprase of "60 years vs 60 months. The year 2020 became the milestone for realisation of all promised. What does the government have to show?
-- 2 crore jobs promised vs 27.11% unemployment;
-- GDP became synonymous with "Grossly declining performance" as India recorded the lowest GDP growth rate;
-- Economy mismanaged to the point of ruin long before COVID-19;
-- Banks duped, India deceived as six years saw “Loan Write-Offs” for ‘Bank Fraudsters’ of Rs.6,66,0000 crores;
-- 32,868 bank frauds involving 2.70 lakh crore public money as stressed assets of banks rise to a whopping Rs 16,50,000 crore and bank NPAs (non-productive assets) or unrecoverable loans to 423% from Rs 2,24,542 crore on 30.06.2014 to Rs 9,50,000 crore in March 2020;
-- Write-off of loans worth Rs 68,607 crore for the likes of Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi, Jatin Mehta, Vijay Mallya and others;
-- PM came to power promising US $1=₹40, but on May 30, 2020, US $1 = ₹75 .57; and
-- Covid relief package of Rs 20 lakh crore turned out to a "Jumla" as it is mere 0.83% of GDP and not 10% of GDP as touted by the PM.
MYTH TWO: ‘SABKA SAATH, SABKA VIKAS’ vs ‘MITRON KA SAATH, BHAJPA KA VIKAS’
Govt prioritises the 'haves' over the 'have-nots' as the rich became richer and the poor, needy, vulnerable abandoned. The highest income inequality in 73 years, as per Credit Suisse report and Oxfam said 1% people now own more than 45% of India's wealth on this govt's watch.
Staggering increase in Rural Poverty rate to 30% in 2017-18. With the Covid-19 lockdown, nearly 80 million migrant workers are returning to India’s villages and the simple question is can the rural economy keep up?
Middle Class/Lower Middle Class is in “grave economic grief.” Total combined income loss of 30 crore depositors in small savings and 44.51 crore account holders of SBI deposits is a whopping Rs 44,670 crore annually. The Latest blow for the middle class and pensioners is discontinuation of 7.75% interest carrying RBI Bonds.
113 lakh Central Government employees, Armed Forces Personnel and Pensioners have lost Rs. 37,630 crores annually by the backdated cutting of their Dearness Allowance and Dearness Pay.
Contrast these with dramatic rise in BJP's fortunes. Its income increased from Rs. 970 crores in 2014-2015 to Rs 2,410 crore in 2019-2020 i.e. by over 248%.
MYTH THREE: ‘PRADHAN SEWAK’ vs ‘AUTOCRATIC EMPEROR’
The worst humanitarian crisis witnessed by India in recent memory, that of the Migrants, was a direct result of apathy and a failure of leadership. 80 million migrant workers were forced to walk back home without food, water and shelter in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic as the Pradhan Sewak refused to even acknowledge their plight.
Be it Demonetization, GST or Covid Lockdown, all decisions are taken by one man, as repository of all wisdom, almost always with disastrous consequences.
Systematic Subjugation of all democratic institutions: The Election Commission, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Central Vigilance Commission, the Information Commissions, the Lok Pal look weaker, more ineffective and more unwilling to act, than ever before.
The virtual suspension of all Parliamentary Standing Committees and the non-convening of Parliament itself in the guise of Covid-19 reflects in full the autocratic and unaccountable style.
Stifling of All Dissent. No engagement or discussion with opposition parties or opposition ruled states. Systematic persecution of all political leaders, critics including authors, writers, thinkers, journalists etc. opposed to the BJP is the norm. Registration of false and motivated cases by misusing the CBI, ED and IT to harass and suppress contrary has become a defining trait.
In the moment of Global Pandemic, despite having collected over a billion dollars in the PM-Cares funds, there is an arrogant refusal to provide ANY details.
The refusal to cancel the Rs. 1,10,000 crore Bullet Train Project or the Rs. 20,000 crore Central Vista project demonstrates that vanity matters more than alleviating suffering of those at the very margins.
MYTH FOUR: DOUBLING FARM INCOME vs DECIMATING FARM ECONOMY
Promised cost + 50% profit as MSP and doubling of farm income. Never once in 6 years, did Modi Government match the promised MSP. On the contrary farmers have suffered a loss of Rs.50,000 crores in Rabi 2020 season alone. Profiteering at the cost of the Farmer and the Surging Input Costs have made agriculture economically unviable.
Agriculture was always tax-free since Independence. For the first time in India’s history, Modi Government taxed agriculture. 5% GST has been imposed on fertilizers, 18% on pesticides, 12% on tractors and all agricultural equipment and 18% on all tractor tyres, transmission and other parts.
PM Fasal Bima Yojana has become insurance company profiteering scheme while 44% farmers denied coverage under PM Kisan Samman Yojana. Out of 14.64 crore farmers (Agriculture Census, 2016), 6.42 crores are excluded from the scheme in its entirety.
Modi Government fought over five years to finish a land acquisition law enacted by the UPA for farmers. When forced to repeal it by the Congress, they enacted it in BJP Ruled states and finally fought against it in the Supreme Court.
Two other myths dealt by the Congress leaders are: ‘ACCHE DIN’ vs ‘SACCHE DIN’ and STRONG LEADERSHIP vs INCOHERENT DECISION-MAKING.