Sonia steps up attack, says govt 'strangled' democracy

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA government over the suspension of Opposition lawmakers, saying "democracy has been strangulated by this government".

- Saubhadra Chatterji

In her speech to members of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) in Delhi, a day after a meeting of the INDIA bloc of opposition parties, Gandhi admitted that "the issues at stake" in 2024 are "fundamental". "We have our task cut out both as a party in our own right and also as a member of the INDIA group," she added.

Gandhi also offered her first public reaction to the Congress's defeat in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly polls. "That the results are very disappointing for our party is an understatement. are facing enormous challenges, yet I am confident that our fortitude and resilience will see us through."

She asked her colleagues to "channel our disappointment into a positive drive for the coming general elections."

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of showing "...his disdain for the dignity of the House and his disregard for the people of our country", in a hard-hitting 20 minute-long speech, Gandhi spoke about the suspension of a large number of Opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament.