New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi today sharply attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government in Parliament, alleging a “blatant U-turn” on their promise of transparency and good governance.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Mrs Gandhi criticized what she called the “deplorable lapse” in not filling key posts, including that of the Chief Information Commissioner.
“The PM in the election campaign made many fraudulent promises about transparency. And continues to do so. In a blatant U-turn, his government, through the absence of a Chief Information Commissioner, has made sure that the highest offices are not accountable under the RTI Act,” she said, taking on PM Modi directly.
Citing the government’s own admission that over 39,000 appeals under the RTI or Right to Information Act are pending, the Congress president used the term “deplorable” for the second time in her speech to describe the failure to punish those responsible for delaying information.
“Information delayed is information denied. The government is brutally weakening the RTI act and shielding itself,” she said, urging the government to “match its words of fighting corruption with action.”
Mrs Gandhi spoke after the Speaker denied her adjournment motion – her first in the current Lok Sabha.
Since the Budget session of Parliament resumed on April 20 after a break, Sonia Gandhi’s son Rahul Gandhi has led his party’s charge against the government. He was silent in the house today but spoke in support of his mother’s statement.
“These posts are vacant as this suit-boot ki Sarkar just snatches farmers’ and empowers only a few corporates,” Mr Gandhi told reporters today.
“Wherever the PM sees an institution that is constitutional, that people have faith in, he wants to end it as he wants all power with himself and corporates
This morning, Sonia Gandhi tore into PM Modi for his “scam India to skill India” remarks during his visit to Canada last month.
“This outrageous remark on foreign soil belittles the dignity of the office he holds and is an embarrassment to the nation,” Mrs Gandhi said at a weekly meeting of her party MPs.
