New Delhi, June 9 – Marking 11 years of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government, the Congress launched a blistering attack on Monday, alleging that the past decade has been defined by “dictatorship, economic stagnation, and the dismantling of democracy.”
In a strongly worded statement, the grand-old party said, “The Modi government has spent the last 11 years smearing every page of the Constitution with the ink of dictatorship.” It termed the milestone not a cause for celebration but a moment of mourning for the “deep wounds inflicted on India’s democracy, economy, and social fabric.”
Congress leaders accused the BJP-RSS of weakening constitutional institutions, toppling elected state governments, and undermining federalism. They claimed the country was moving toward a “one-party dictatorship”, facilitated by a silenced media and intimidated opposition.
“Why is the Prime Minister still running away from unscripted press conferences?” asked Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, mocking Modi’s silence on direct public questioning. “Is it because he needs to prepare planted questions from ‘suitable persons’ in a controlled setting?” he asked, also taking a swipe at the BJP’s choice of Bharat Mandapam as the venue for celebrations.
Ramesh quipped: “Celebrating eleven years, but the Prime Minister remains ‘nau do gyarah’ from a press conference.”
The Congress also took aim at the government’s economic performance, calling flagship programs like Make in India, Startup India, and Smart Cities “colossal disappointments.”
“GDP growth has fallen to 5-6%, job creation is stagnant, public savings are at a 50-year low, and income inequality is at a 100-year high,” the party said. Rajeev Gowda, head of the Congress Research Department, also countered the government’s welfare claims by pointing to India’s 105th rank in the Global Hunger Index.
“Nearly a third of our children are malnourished, and this is what they call ‘Viksit Bharat’?” Gowda asked, labelling the government a “master of headlines, not deliverables.”
Citing the continuing ethnic violence in Manipur, the Congress called the crisis a “glaring example of administrative collapse.”
It also pointed to delays in 23 of 55 key DRDO projects and said that over 300 of the 700+ Eklavya schools meant for tribal children remained non-functional, accusing the government of abandoning essential development in favour of public spectacle.
As the BJP held celebratory events nationwide, the Congress asserted that the reality on the ground is starkly different from the “manufactured image” the Centre attempts to project.
“This is not democracy. This is one-man rule wrapped in photo-ops and PR stunts,” the Congress statement concluded.
