This Article is From Dec 19, 2018

Congress Playing "Dangerous Games" With Democracy, Says PM Modi

The Prime Minister also criticised the opposition party for changing its stand on electronic voting machines as per its convenience.

Congress Playing 'Dangerous Games' With Democracy, Says PM Modi

PM Modi made these allegations at an interaction with Tamil Nadu workers through video conferencing.

Highlights

  • PM Modi said the Congress has become more cunning since the Emergency
  • The party is insulting every democratic institution in India, he added.
  • He also criticised Congress for going after EVMs before every election
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today claimed that the Congress has insulted every democratic institution in India, be it the Army on the surgical strikes issue or the Election Commission on electronic voting machines.

PM Modi made the allegations at an interaction with booth-level workers of Tamil Nadu's Vellore, Kanchipuram, Villupuram and Chennai through video-conferencing from New Delhi. "The Congress has become more cunning since the days of Emergency," he said. "They have humiliated the Army, the CAG and every institution important to our democracy. They even questioned a Supreme Court verdict (on the Rafale deal) just because they didn't like it. Earlier, they even tried to impeach the Chief Justice of India just because they couldn't threaten the court into doing what they wanted."

The Prime Minister also criticised the opposition party for changing its stand on electronic voting machines (EVMs) as per its convenience. "They start making noises about EVMs before every election, trying to create an atmosphere of doubt. However, if the Congress does well, they seem to accept the results that came out of those very EVMs," he said.

PM Modi claimed that such "undemocratic behaviour" can be countered only through the strengthening of the country's democratic processes. "Spreading of Information and awareness is important for democracy. We should keep the people informed about the Congress and its dangerous games," he said.

The Prime Minister's comments came amid allegations by the opposition that the Union government was hijacking the country's democratic institutions to further its political goals. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said at a rally on Sunday that he will not allow the government to "destroy" institutions like the Supreme Court and the Reserve Bank of India.

PM Modi also asked party workers at the meet to increase their outreach by creating awareness on his government's welfare schemes. "From housing to health care, from sanitation to skills, there are schemes for every section of society," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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