New Delhi, May 30 (IANS): On completion of seven years of the Modi government, the Congress has said that Modi Govt is "Harmful for the Country" and has accused it of "committing 7 Criminal Blunders in 7 Years".
The Congress has said that the Modi government has failed on all fronts -- from economy to securing national security while surrendering to China.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "The systematic destruction of the Indian economy has forced a deceleration. Even before the pandemic, GDP Growth fell from 8.1 per cent in FY2015-16 to 4.2 per cent in FY2019-20. The Indian economy has registered a recession for the first time since Independence. The GDP growth was minus 24.1 per cent in Q1 of FY2020-21 and minus 7.5 per cent in Q2 of FY2020-21. The overall GDP growth for FY2020-21 is expected to be close to minus 8 per cent."
Blunders like Demonetisation and a shoddy GST implementation and a national lockdown at a 4-hour notice has hurt the Indian economy badly. As a result, even Bangladesh has now overtaken India in per capita income.
The Modi government promised 2 crore jobs every year. On the contrary, under the Modi rule, India saw the worst unemployment in 45 years in 2019. As per CMIE, during COVID-19, close to 12.2 crore people lost their jobs and almost 75 per cent of the 12.2 crore people were small traders and wage-labourers.
The congress alleged that all-round failure of the Modi government has ensured that prices of essential commodities like Edible Oils, Pulses and Petrol/Diesel have hit the roof.
The management of COVID-19 by the Modi government has been abysmal to say the least. With over 2.77 crore infections and 3.22 Lakh deaths, India saw its PM missing in action, Congress said.
At a time when experts were warning the Modi government of a second COVID wave, it was in a rush to create a PR stunt by declaring victory over COVID-19. With shortage of beds, oxygen supply and life-saving drugs, citizens have been forced to see their loved ones dying. Thousands of bodies have been found floating in the Ganga river across UP and Bihar.
The vaccination strategy is the worst implemented against any crisis, ever. Decentralized procurement, placing orders very late, no financial support to manufacturers to enhance capacity, not approving enough sources and not procuring enough doses. At the current average of 15.34 lakh doses administered per day, it will take India till May 31, 2024 to vaccinate its adult population.
Surjewala accused the Modi Government of surrendering India's strategic interests to China and woefully compromised National Security. "The Modi government has undermined the astounding valour and insurmountable grit of our Armed Forces, who faced Chinese incursions and aggressions with indomitable courage and sacrifice."
The Modi Government has agreed to withdraw Indian Armed Forces from dominant positions in 'Kailash Ranges' (Southern Bank, Pangong Tso Lake Area), where the Chinese are at a disadvantage, without any quid pro quo by China.
One of the most strategic and provocative incursions into the Indian territory by Chinese is in 'Depsang Plains'. Chinese have occupied our territory 18 kilometres inside the LAC up to Y-Junction (bottleneck). This has also jeopardized one of the most important and strategically placed Air Strips i.e. DBO Air Strip (DBO-Daulat Beg Oldi).
"The Modi government is hatching a cruel conspiracy to mortgage agriculture and agricultural land in the hands of crony capitalists," Surjewala said.
When all sectors were posting contraction, Agriculture was the only sector that registered a growth during the first COVID-19 wave. The farmers have been protesting for more than 6 months in harsh weather, but the government is completely apathetic to their demands. So far, 475 farmers have been martyred in this fight to save their futures.
This is a clear case of complete apathy towards farmers who are fighting for their rights and to save their dignity but the government seems to be occupied in filling the pockets of their friends, he said.