'Smearing the Constitution with ink of dictatorship': Congress on 11 years of Modi rule

As the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government completed 11 years at the Centre, the Congress on Monday accused the ruling party of undermining democratic institutions, mismanaging the economy and fostering an atmosphere of fear and social division.

“The Modi government has spent the last 11 years smearing every page of the Constitution with the ink of dictatorship,” said the Congress in a statement. The party said that the occasion did not warrant celebration, but instead marked a milestone of misgovernance and manufactured image-building.

Calling the decade-long rule a period of “deep wounds” to India’s democracy, economy and social fabric, the Congress alleged that the BJP-RSS combine had weakened every Constitutional institution and undermined their autonomy.

Accusing the Central Government of steering India toward a “one-party dictatorship”, the Congress cited examples of allegedly toppling elected governments and bypassing federal structures to

The party also took fresh jibes at the Prime Minister for consistently avoiding press conferences. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh criticised the Prime Minister for his absence from any freewheeling media interactions.

“Why is the Prime Minister still running away? Is it taking time to prepare questions and answers and find suitable persons to query him in a servile manner; or is Bharat Mandapam not fully ready?” asked Ramesh, taking a dig at the BJP for selecting Bharat Mandapam as the event venue.

Ramesh further mocked the BJP’s celebrations, pointing out that while party president JP Nadda addressed a press conference to mark the milestone, Modi remained absent (skipped the chance for any public questioning).

“Celebrating eleven years, but the Prime Minister remains ‘nau do gyarah’ from an unscripted and pre-scheduled press conference,” he said, which taking another jibe at the PM.

The Congress also tore into the government’s economic record. “The GDP growth has stagnated at five to six percent, down from the average of eight percent during the UPA years. Job creation is virtually halted, public savings are at a 50-year low, and inequality has reached a century-high,” pointed out the Congress.

It also cited alleged failures of the government’s flagship initiatives such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Start-up India’ and ‘Smart Cities’, calling them “colossal disappointments”.

The situation in Manipur, where ethnic violence continues unabated was described by the grand-old party as the “most glaring example of the BJP’s administrative collapse”.

At a separate press conference, Congress Research Department head Rajeev Gowda presented data alleging systemic failures across sectors.

Responding to the government’s claims of success under welfare schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Gowda cited India’s 105th rank out of 127 countries in the Global Hunger Index.

“Nearly a third of our children are malnourished, and this is what they call Viksit Bharat,” Gowda said. He also targeted the government over stalled education and defence projects, saying that over 300 of the 700-plus Eklavya schools for tribal children were non-functional, while 23 of 55 key DRDO projects were delayed.

The Modi government has become a master of headlines, not deliverables, he added.