Government has strangulated democracy, Sonia Gandhi tells Congress Parliamentary Party

PTI

New Delhi, December 20

Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the government was "strangulating democracy" by suspending MPs over a legitimate demand and said the Congress had its task cut out for the next year's general election both as a party and as an INDIA bloc member.

Noting that the assembly election results being very disappointing was an understatement, the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson urged party MPs to channel their disappointment into a positive drive for the general election.

This was the first time that Sonia Gandhi spoke on the recent assembly poll results.

Later on Wednesday, Congress MPs held a protest against the suspension of opposition members outside Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Parliament complex.

Addressing party MPs at the meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the Central Hall of Parliament, Gandhi said, "To say that the assembly election results in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been very disappointing for our party is an understatement."

"The Congress president has already had a first round of reviews to understand the reasons for our poor performance and to draw the needed lessons for our organisation," she said.

"We are facing enormous challenges. Yet, I am confident that our fortitude and resilience will see us through. Our ideology and our values are our guiding light at this difficult time. We must never forget that our leaders fought against insurmountable odds with great courage and fortitude to give us freedom."        

Gandhi told the MPs to "channel the disappointment into a positive drive for the coming general election".

The former Congress chief targeted the BJP government at the Centre over the "soaring" inflation and said the poor are suffering and economic inequalities are rising. "There is a significant gap between the prime minister's boasts on economic growth and ground reality," she said.

Gandhi said the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament with a rider was an eyewash to mislead women and garner their votes. There is no time to waste and reservation for women must be implemented immediately, she said.

She said the Congress' position on Jammu and Kashmir had been clear and consistent, asserting that full statehood must be restored immediately and elections held there at the earliest. 

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