Assembly elections in many states are approaching, and Sonia Gandhi, the chairwoman of the Congress Parliamentary Party, stated today that although the “mahaul (public mood)” is in the Congress’s favor, the momentum and goodwill created for it during the Lok Sabha elections must be maintained.
“We must not become complacent and over confident…I dare say that if we perform well, reflecting the trend that we witnessed in the Lok Sabha elections, national politics will undergo a transformation,” she told the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP).
Mrs. Gandhi further said that the Modi administration was continuing its agenda of “dividing communities and spreading an atmosphere of fear and animosity” and had failed to learn the proper lessons from “their significant decline” in the Lok Sabha elections.
“Fortunately, the Supreme Court intervened at the right time,” she said in an apparent reference to the stay on the orders passed by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand government asking eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the name of owners.
“But this can only be a temporary respite. Look at how the rules have been suddenly changed to permit the bureaucracy to participate in the activities of the RSS. It calls itself a cultural organisation but the whole world knows that it is the BJP’s political and ideological base,” Mrs Gandhi said.
Taking note of the four states that will be holding elections, she called on party leaders to maintain the enthusiasm and goodwill that the party had created during 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 undergo a transformation,” Mrs Gandhi said.
Her comments coincide with the prospect of elections in Jammu and Kashmir this year, as well as assembly elections in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Haryana.
She also attacked the Union Budget, claiming that it completely disregarded the urgent requests of young people and farmers in particular.
She said that the duties that need to be completed have not been adequately addressed by allocations in several important areas.
“There has been widespread disappointment, in spite of the prime minister, the finance minister and others to talk 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.
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