Combating a direct attack on the top leadership of her party, including herself on the AgustaWestland issue, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday hit back at the Modi Government, saying it should “not try to frighten” her party.
“Do not make the mistake of thinking that the Congress party is weak. We will not allow democratic institutions to be weakened or destroyed,” Sonia said at a ‘Save Democracy’ rally held by the party at Jantar Mantar, before they tried to march to Parliament. Former PM Manmohan Singh, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and other top party leaders also courted arrest after they were stopped from marching to Parliament. They were released after a short while.
“Today those who do not agree with them are harassed,” she said, addressing the rally, and warned “Inke din ab poore ho gaye hai” (Their days are over now). People can teach them a lesson if they continue to indulge in it.” Targeting RSS, Sonia said, “We have to send a message so strong that people sitting in Raisina Hill and Nagpur sit up and listen.”
Referring to the political crisis in Arunachal and Uttarakhand, Sonia accused the Modi Government of dislodging democratically-elected Congress Governments “with the use of money power”.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accused the Modi Government of trying to dislodge Congress Governments in the States. “Since BJP has come to power they have only one mission ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’. They say this wherever they go. I want to tell the Modi Government that Congress is India’s soul,” Singh said.
Rahul Gandhi said only two people’s writ runs in the country and those who stand against them are targeted with “false allegations”. “Only two people’s writ runs in the country. That is Mohan Bhagwat ji and Narendra Modi ji. And those who stand against them, speak against them face false allegations,” he said.