NEW DELHI: Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi criticized the Modi government on Wednesday claiming that it has no intention to conduct the Census, which has been overdue since 2021. She added that the failure to conduct the census will not only prevent an accurate estimate of the country’s population but also deny over 12 crore citizens, particularly from scheduled castes and tribes, benefits under the National Food Security Act. While speaking at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting held at in the national capital Sonia said, “It is clear that the Government has no intention whatsoever to conduct the Census that was last due in 2021. This will prevent us from having an up-to-date estimate of the population of the country, especially of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. It also means that at least 12 crore of our citizens are denied the benefit of the National Food Security Act of 2013 – now repackaged as PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana,” as per a statement issued by the All India Congress Committee. Sonia Gandhi in her speech at the CPP meeting expressed Condolences to the families affected by the Wayanad landslide and other natural disasters. “Let me first of all extend our deepest condolences to the families bereaved by the horrendous calamity that has overtaken Wayanad. The scale of devastation has been staggering. Our colleagues in the state have mobilised themselves to provide all assistance. There have been huge floods in other parts of the country as well and we extend our sympathies to the affected families. Apart from natural disasters, our people continue to lose their lives in railway accidents that are caused by mismanagement. Our thoughts are with these victims as well,” she said. Speaking about the 2024-25 budget, Sonia Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for its handling of economic and social challenges, particularly concerning farmers and youth. She added, ” continues to be self-delusional as crores of families across the country are devastated by mounting unemployment and price rise.” “Pressing demands of farmers and youth, in particular, have been ignored. Allocations in several vital sectors have not done justice to the tasks required to be fulfilled. There has been widespread disappointment, despite the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and others talking up the Budget and its so-called accomplishments. The Union Government, especially its top leadership, continues to be self-delusional as crores of families across the country are devastated by mounting unemployment and price rise,” she said. Sonia Gandhi also criticized the state of the education system under PM Modi’s government, claiming shortcomings in competitive exams. She said these issues have crushed the hopes of many young people and harmed the integrity of institutions like NCERT, UGC, and UPSC. “Education has been amongst the worst casualties in the past years. Instead of taking the nation forward, the entire educational system is being shown as flawed and manipulated. The exposure of how competitive examinations have been allowed has destroyed the faith of lakhs of youth and dealt their future a body blow. The professional character and autonomy of organizations like the NCERT, UGC and even of Constitutional bodies like the UPSC have been all but destroyed,” she said. She also criticized the government’s handling of national security and terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the deaths of security personnel and a large number of civilians due to such attacks make a mockery of the Modi government’s claims that all is well in the state. “There is deeply disturbing news in national security issues. Over the past few weeks, there have been at least eleven terror attacks in the Jammu region alone. There have been similar attacks in the Valley as well. Security personnel and a large number of civilians have lost their lives. This makes a mockery of the claims being made by the Modi Government that all is well in J&K. The situation in Manipur shows no sign of any improvement. The Prime Minister travels the world over, but steadfastly refuses to go to the state and take the initiative to bring about normalcy,” she said. “In a few months, elections will be held in four states. We must sustain the momentum and goodwill that had been generated for us in the Lok Sabha elections. We must not become complacent and over-confident. The ‘mahaul’ does favour us, but we have to work unitedly with a sense of purpose. I dare say that if we perform well, reflecting the trend that we witnessed in the Lok Sabha elections, national politics will transform,” she said.
