New Delhi, Jul 20 (India Today) : A belligerent Sonia Gandhi today accused the Narendra Modi government of polarising the Indian society and destabilising its democratic institutions, references that the Congress president made respectively to the violence in Kashmir, and the political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

"The recent events in Kashmir pose a grave danger to the country. The militants must be dealt with firmly. Yet we must introspect as to what has driven scores of youth to such levels of anger and protest, even violence," Sonia said as her party planned a fresh assault on the government in Parliament on the third day of the monsoon session.

KASHMIR UNREST

Curfew imposed by the government and a protest shutdown called by the separatists paralysed life in the Valley for 13th day today as the ongoing cycle of violence claimed 44 lives, including 42 civilians and two policemen, so far.
"The Modi government is destabilising institutions and polarising the society. Brutal atrocities against Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the minorities are continuing with impunity and shaming us all," she said at a meeting of the Congress parliamentary party.

DALIT ATROCITIES

Sonia also condemned the atrocities against Dalits in Gujarat and said her party will raise in Parliament the flogging of four Dalit men by cow protection vigilantes in Una last week.

"We will raise Una incident issue in Parliament. The government has snatched rights of Adivasis, Dalits and traditional forest dwellers under the Forest Rights Act and weakening environment rights," she said.

A policeman was killed in mob violence and a Dalit committed suicide on Tuesday as protests against last week's thrashing of four youth in Una town snowballed across Saurashtra region of Gujarat. The Dalit who died during the day was among the five persons from the community who tried to take their own lives in separate incidents in Gujarat.