'MODI stands for murder-of-democratic-institutions'

As the Narendra Modi government nears completing a year in office, the Congress on Wednesday stepped up its offensive against the prime minister accusing him of weakening democracy by running a "one-man show" while scoring maximum on "arrogance" and minimum on governance.

Firing a fresh salvo at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government which completes one year in office on May 26, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said, "Modi is running a government now where ministers don't count, where ministries don't count."

"It is a one man show and Modi is a one man government," he said while addressing reporters in Hyderabad.

"... In the process he (Modi) weakened the foundations of democracy. Parliament is routinely bypassed and decisions are taken in complete disregard to popular sentiment," Ramesh alleged.

After taking over as the PM last year, Modi had promised maximum governance and minimum government, Ramesh said adding that "one year later we see maximum arrogance and one man government."

He added that one year ago Modi said 'Skill India', but after one year we don't see 'Skill India' but 'Kill India'. "Killing of Parliament, killing of judiciary and killing of civil society and all these are under threat and under attack."

"One year ago, National Democratic Alliance government took office. One year later we have MNDA -- Modi's Non-Democratic Alliance. One year ago Modi promised 'Selfless government', but after one year we see not selfless government but a "selfie" prime minister," he alleged.

"One year ago, Modi promised turnaround of Indian economy. But, one year later we don't have turnaround but a government of U-turns," Ramesh further claimed.

Stating that these were the five realities of the last one year of Modi government, Ramesh said the PM in the last one year has also had to eat his own words.

"The BJP opposed Indo-US nuclear agreement, but Modi has now supported the agreement and we welcome that. Modi opposed the GST when he was the chief minister of Gujarat and he is now championing the GST as the prime minister and we welcome that," Ramesh said adding "we welcome the facts that he has made these U-turns and taken positions as Prime Minister which were opposed to the positions which the BJP took when it was in opposition."

The Congress also accused the PM of muzzling all dissent besides systematically destroying democratic institutions. "Every institution of our democracy is being systematically weakened and destroyed. MODI stands for murder-of-democratic-institutions," Ramesh said.

Of the 52 bills passed by Parliament in the last one year, only five have gone to the Standing Committee, he said adding, "When he (Modi) attends Parliament, he beats his 56-inch chest as if he is still running an election campaign. He goes to judiciary and talks about five-star activists. Civil society people are under threat; they are being investigated or offloaded from planes."

"Dissent is completely being muzzled. Ministers don't count; ministries don't count. So, for me, much more than substance, it's the style of governance that's the most worrying part, and we are headed towards becoming an illiberal democracy," he said.

According to him, the NDA dispensation is the "most closed government" in India's history. "It has made a mockery of RTI; they don't respond to RTI. The chief information commissioner has not been appointed for nine months. All power is concentrated in one man in the PMO," Ramesh said.

"In last one year of the BJP government... Modi gets full marks for re-packaging, he gets full marks for maximum distress in rural areas and he gets full marks for reducing allocation for education, health, drinking water and sanitation, woman and child development," Ramesh said.

The Congress will continue to expose the failures of the Modi government, Ramesh said adding for the party in terms of substance, the greatest damage that Modi has done to Indian agriculture and to Indian farmers is the amendments to the land acquisition law of 2013 and open the doors to "land grab".

The one year track record of Modi clearly shows that he is a master of re-packaging, master of political marketing and of course it shows he has accumulated the largest number of frequent flyer miles internationally (with regard to foreign trips), Ramesh added.

The Congress hopes that Modi would have learnt the political lessons from the debacle in Delhi and the reactions to amendments to land acquisition across the country, Ramesh said.

Ramesh strongly denied BJP's charge that the Congress is "obstructionist".

"We supported the government on the insurance bill," he noted and charged that the "BJP for ten years pursued the most obstructionist policy in India's parliamentary history".

Citing example of BJP's flip-flop on policies, Ramesh alleged that during the United Progressive Alliance rule when the then standing committee on finance, headed by Yashwant Sinha (BJP), took two years and six months to give its report on the Goods and Service Tax Bill and had also rejected the Unique Identification Bill. However, with the BJP assuming power Modi has now become "biggest champion" of GST and UID... "this is a U-turn government," the Congress veteran said.

On the GST Bill, Ramesh said the Congress wanted it to go to the select committee because certain provisions in the bill were not there when the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram presented it in Parliament in March 2011.

On the land bill, Ramesh made it clear that his party is totally opposed to it as a matter of principle and not as a matter of obstructionism.