Describing the first year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term as the worst for the majority of common people, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said the democratic and liberal ethos as an inclusive society had been undermined in the BJP government.
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In his remarks on the anniversary of the Modi government 2.0, Mr. Gehlot said the ruling dispensation was tampering with the autonomy of institutions, while the public sector undertakings were being sold and communal harmony was being disrupted with a “divisive agenda”.
“Instead of taking the nation forward, the government is taking it backwards,” Mr. Gehlot tweeted, while affirming that the last six years of the Modi government would be remembered as one of those periods in Indian history when people suffered the most.
“Even after six years of trial and error on the economic front, we see no silver lining how the government is going to revive the economy, provide jobs and look after the people, who have no money and no work.” A thriving economy under the UPA had been completely destroyed by the NDA, he added.
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The Chief Minister said Mr. Modi’s tenure would be remembered as the time when lakhs of people had lost everything and faced unbearable hardship during the COVID-19 lockdown. “The government remained a mute spectator to the suffering of the people. The nation saw a most insensitive government [which was] least bothered about lives or livelihood of crores of Indians.”
Commenting on the operations of the Shramik specials, Mr. Gehlot said 40 trains had been delayed, one took nine days to reach its destination and 80 deaths had been reported so far. He said Railway Minister Piyush Goyal should be divested of his portfolio, as such a mess in the railways was never heard of before. “Let him concentrate on fundraising for the BJP,” he said.
