Congress Accuses PM Modi of Silence on Key Issues, Demands Answers Ahead of Meerut Rally

The Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of retaining a "studious silence" on key issues afflicting the people of Uttar Pradesh, as it alleged that he has "failed" women, farmers and youth.

Ahead of the prime minister's rally in Meerut, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed queries for him on behalf of the people of Uttar Pradesh.

To avoid having to come clear on his true intentions, he has maintained a "studious silence" on these critical issues so far, Ramesh said and went on to enumerate the issues which he claimed the people of Uttar Pradesh are hoping to hear from the PM on.

"Publicly, PM Modi adores talking about women's empowerment and 'Nari Shakti' but he has repeatedly failed Indian women, even within his own party. Just two weeks ago, the BJP Mahila Morcha's National Vice President deserted the party, citing that female party workers were being 'insulted' and 'treated harshly'," Ramesh said.

"Another female leader, the President of the Mahila Morcha in UP's Moradabad, was physically assaulted by local leaders, and forced to turn to social media to demand justice," he claimed.

Ramesh further alleged that when India's female wrestlers fought for justice last year, the Modi government was the first to betray them in pursuit of its political calculations.

"Will Mr. Modi finally acknowledge his failures, and take action against the accused," he inquired.

"Yesterday, the Modi Sarkar conferred the Bharat Ratna on two advocates of India's farmers - Chaudhary Charan Singh and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. Even as the prime minister gives lip tribute to both these leaders, he has failed farmers consistently," he alleged.

Back in 2014, Modi used to often make promises to implement the Swaminathan Committee Report but since then, he has placed the report in "cold storage", and suppressed attempts by India's farmers to protest for their rights and livelihoods, Ramesh claimed.

The Congress has guaranteed that it will grant legal status to MSP, in accordance with the Swaminathan Commission's formula, he said.

"What is the prime minister's stance on the same Swaminathan Commission Report that he used to once tout?" Ramesh said.

Raising the issue of examination paper leaks, Ramesh said under the Modi government's tenure, at least 43 papers to exams for recruitment to government posts have been released over the last few years across the country, harming the prospects of at least two crore candidates.

"Most recently, 60 lakh applicants for the UP Police Exams had their futures disrupted by the cancellation of the exam after the paper was released. These are not just statistics - these are the aspirations and desires of India's youth that are dangling in the balance," he said.

Under its Yuva Nyay Guarantee, the Congress has committed to bringing robust legislation that will design institutions and best practices to prevent paper breaches from occurring in the first place, Ramesh said.

"What is Mr. Modi's vision to remedy the damage done to our youth? What is the BJP's 'Double Engine' Sarkar doing to rectify its errors and ensure that our youth never face such injustice again?" he said and implored the prime minister to break his reticence on these issues.