Democracy strangulated by govt: Sonia Gandhi on suspension of MPs

Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday accused the government of strangulating democracy by suspending MPs over a legitimate demand and said the Congress has its task cut out for next years general elections both as a party and as INDIA bloc member reported news agency PTINoting that the assembly election results being very disappointing is an understatement the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson urged party MPs to channel their disappointment into positivity for next years general elections reported PTIThis was the first time that Sonia Gandhi spoke on the recent assembly poll resultsAddressing party MPs at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the Central Hall of Parliament Sonia Gandhi said To say that the assembly election results in Chhattisgarh Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been very disappointing for our party is an understatement reported PTIThe Congress president has already had a first round of reviews to understand the reasons for our poor performance and to draw the needed lessons for our organization she said reported PTIWe are facing enormous challenges Yet I am confident that our fortitude and resilience will see us through Our ideology and our values are our guiding light at this difficult time We must never forget that our leaders fought against insurmountable odds with great courage and fortitude to give us freedom she said reported PTISonia Gandhi told the MPs to channel the disappointment into a positive drive for the coming general elections reported PTIShe told the Congress MPs that the Lok Sabha polls are to be held in the next few months and we have our tasks cut out both as a party and as INDIA group memberAbout the suspension of over 140 opposition MPs from Parliament who have been demanding Home Minister Amit Shahs statement on the December 13 Parliament security breach Gandhi said never before have so many Opposition MPs been suspended and that too for raising a perfectly reasonable and legitimate demandAll the opposition MPs asked for was a statement by the home minister in the Lok Sabha on the extraordinary events of December 13 but there are no words to describe the arrogance with which this request was treated she said reported PTIWhat happened on December 13 is inexcusable and cannot be justified It took four days for the prime minister to address the nation and express his views on the incident and he did so outside Parliament By this he clearly indicated his disdain for the dignity of the House and his disregard for the people of our country I leave it to you to imagine how the BJP would have responded had they been in opposition today she notedLater in the day Congress MPs held a protest against the suspension of opposition members outside Mahatma Gandhis statue in the Parliament complexThe former Congress chief targeted the BJP government at the Centre over the soaring inflation and said the poor are suffering and economic inequalities are rising There is a significant gap between the prime ministers boasts on economic growth and ground reality she saidGandhi also said the passage of the Womens Reservation Bill in Parliament with a rider was an eyewash to mislead women and garner their votes There is no time to waste and reservation for women must be implemented immediately she saidShe said the Congress position on Jammu and Kashmir has been clear and consistent asserting that full statehood must be restored immediately and elections be held there at the earliestGandhi said the Congress has launched an innovative campaign to strengthen its finances and noted that the importance of this drive cannot be minimizedI am confident that each and every one of you will do your part to ensure that it remains a sustained and successful effort she told the party MPsThe Congress has launched its Donate for Desh crowdfunding campaign and said that it will generate resources for the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha electionAll Indians above the age of 18 years can donate a minimum of Rs 138 or in multiples of 138 such as Rs 1380 Rs 13800 and so on to the campaign The crowdfunding initiative the party said was inspired by Mahatma Gandhis historic Tilak Swaraj Fund which was launched more than 100 years ago in 192021With inputs from PTI