New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS): The Congress Working Committee (CWC) Tuesday strongly criticised the Narendra Modi government for taking the ordinance route and bypassing parliament on all crucial matters, said senior Congress leader Ambika Soni.

Emerging from a four-hour-long CWC meeting, attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi as well as former prime minister Manmohan Singh among others, Soni said: "There was an in-depth discussion on the wrong policies of the NDA (government) that is adopting the ordinance route."

"(The government has) promulgated more than a dozen ordinaces. This is really weakening demoracy at its grassroots level... we felt very stronglly about it,"Soni said.

As many as 30 CWC members discussed the land ordinance, introduced by the Bharatiya Janata Party government last month, and other organisational matters, including the membership drive, in a meeting that lasted until 2:00 p.m. at the party headquaters here.

Soni said discussion on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's prospective elevation to the party's presidency was not on the agenda of the meeting this time.

"Rahul Gandhi is our vice president and he is playing a very promiment role (in the party). He is also guiding from upfront on many organisaation matters."

But today (Tuesday) "we spoke on the agenda connected with organisation matter only", she said.