The Congress on Wednesday said in the Rajya Sabha that the idea of “One election, One face, One ideology” and “forced majority” is not acceptable to a diverse country like India and asked the ruling dispensation to refrain from “dividing the country for votes.”
The main Opposition party also urged the NDA Government to acknowledge the role played by former Prime Ministers including Jawaharlal Nehru in building a democratic and modern India.
Making this assertion during a the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma also urged the ruling party to desist from politicisation of the armed forces. He also claimed violence against minorities had increased under the present regime and demanded the Government to spell out the steps taken to check this dangerous trend.
He said the President’s address lacked imagination and was disappointing as it was far removed from the reality on the ground. Rejecting the idea of ‘One nation, One election’ mentioned in the President’s address, Sharma said, “There is federal polity in the country, there is diversity. Our experience speaks that when Governments have fallen and alternative ones have not been formed, mid-term elections have been held.
“You cannot have a forced majority, you cannot impose your decision. You cannot take away the rights of States on elections. When Governments fall in States and alternative Governments are not formed, will you impose President’s Rule then? This will not happen. I understand your thought. There should be one country, but one election, one face, one name, one ideology is not acceptable to India,” Sharma added.
Sharma, who is deputy leader of the Congress in the Upper House, alleged that no Prime Minister has ever fought elections on the victory of armed forces as Modi did. He recalled how Indira Gandhi after the victory of Indian forces in Bangladesh war of Independence said this was the victory of humanity and not hers, for which opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee had lauded her.
“No Prime Minister has fought elections on the victory of armed forces. The Army does not belong to any party, as their victory is that of the country,” Sharma said.
Asking the BJP to recognise the contributions made by previous Governments and Prime Ministers, Sharma said, “Don’t think the country started after 2014 and not after 1947 when India achieved independence. Respect and accept India’s diversity... The achievements made by India are by its scientists and why do you not recognise them,” he asked.
He urged the ruling party not to make a “New India that has seen lynchings” and asked why the issue of lynching did not find a mention in the President’s address.
Earlier, participating in the debate BJP leader KJ Alphons said minorities have never been safer in the country than under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also said Modi is “more democratic” than anyone before him.
Five years back it was said Christians will be beaten up and churches will be burnt once the BJP comes to power, he said. “Have you seen any Christian being beaten up or any church being burnt (since the BJP came to power),” he asked. “Never has it been safer for minorities than under Modi,” he said as some in the opposition jeered, making references to lynching of Muslims in some parts of the country.
Alphons claimed if the Congress wants to live in a make believe world, history will write it off. “You shall have a new India,” he said in an apparent jibe at Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, who in his remarks during the debate, had called for giving back the ‘old India’ and Modi keeping his ‘New India’ with himself.
He said instead of whining, the country should be celebrating achievements such as 99.2 per cent of the population now having toilets, 35 crore people getting bank accounts, 7.5 crore getting gas connection, 19 crore getting loan under Mudra scheme, the jump in ease of doing business ranking and India striking at the heart of the enemy.
In his speech on the debate, Veer Singh (BSP) attacked the Government for the unemployment rate climbing to a 45 year high due to “ill-planned” decisions and “wrong policies” such as demonetisation of high value currency notes and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. Wansuk Syiem (Cong) said the President’s address did not have any mention of special package for the North East.
Participating in the debate, Abdul Wahab (IUML) asked how the Government is going to win the trust of the minorities and Dalits when they were being “subjected to atrocities” everyday. He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, saying they had invented a new branch of election engineering.
Saroj Pandey (BJP) in her maiden speech hit out at the leader of Ghulam Nabi Azad, saying he has insulted the mandate of the people by saying the Prime Minister won the elections riding on divisive politics whereas the fact remains that the people have voted for change. K Ravindra Kumar (TDP) said the BJP is all out to wipe the Opposition in order to exercise monopoly which was not a healthy sign.