Govt generated nationalism debate to divert attention: Sonia

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday accused the government with generating “unwarranted debate” on patriotism and nationalism to cover up its “failure” to revive the economy, control food inflation and improve internal security situation.

The Congress party declared that it would join hands with like-minded parties and aggressively raise these issues during the Budget Session of Parliament beginning Tuesday.
Sonia had convened a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Monday evening to discuss the “disturbing circumstances” that were “causing great disquiet” across the country.

“First, it muzzled our voice in the Lok Sabha. Then it silenced civil society activists and organisations. Now is the turn of universities... The foundations of communal harmony are being systematically eroded,” she said in her opening remarks. Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge have already conveyed to the government that they would like to raise issues such as JNU row, suicide of a Dalit student in Hyderabad University, Pathankot terrorist attack and ouster of a Congress-led government in Arunachal Pradesh during the Budget Session. An aggressive opposition had forced repeated adjournments during the Monsoon and Winter Sessions of Parliament last year, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to claim that a conspiracy was being hatched to topple his government.