BJP lowering credibility of central agencies using coercion: Congress

The Congress on Thursday attacked the Centre by saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party is lowering the credibility of central agencies by ‘coercing’ them, and alleged that whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah “feel cornered”, they press central agencies into action against the opposition.

“Their conspiracy is to keep us silent, to stop us. Their intention is for Opposition-free India. They want one nation, one election to make use of the central agencies at once,” Congress national spokesperson Pawan Khera said at a press conference in New Delhi.

The Congress is only trying to remind the Modi government of its ‘rajdharma’, he said. “The Prime Minister had made the idea of Congress based on those who he took from the party. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah will have to take several rebirths to understand the effects of Congress and the Gandhi family,” Khera said.

Referring to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoning interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi in connection with the National Herald case, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said the Modi government has “no shame” and it “pays no heed to what the nation would think on such action”.

“The way Sonia Gandhi has been summoned it could’ve been done in a much better way. The law is not equal under their (BJP) rule. It changes for those who enter the NDA coalition,” he said.

Gehlot said protests and demonstrations are ornaments of democracy, and having tolerance is crucial.

The Rajasthan CM raised issues related to rising inflation, decreasing value of the rupee against dollar and border disputes, and suggested having a deliberation between the Centre and the Opposition on these matters. “Nobody is an enemy in politics but they (BJP) treat us as one,” he added.