‘Brutalising minorities’: At Chintan Shivir, Sonia Gandhi’s sharp attack on govt

Chintan Shivir: Addressing the session, Sonia Gandhi said it was clear what PM Modi and his colleagues meant by 'maximum governance, minimum govt'. “It means 'brutalising' minorities,” she added.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Friday began her ‘Chintan Shivir’ address with a strong attack on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre stating that it was brutalising minorities and glorifying Mahatma Gandhi's killers.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi addresses the Chintan Shivir in Udaipur on Friday. (ANI Twitter)

She said the brainstorming session gave the Congress an opportunity to “discuss amongst us the numerous challenges that the country is facing as a result of the policies of the BJP, RSS and its affiliates”, besides doing meaningful self- introspection.

Addressing the three-day session, titled 'Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir', in Udaipur, Gandhi said, by now it had become abundantly and “painfully clear” what the Prime Minister and his colleagues really meant by their slogan 'maximum governance, minimum government'.

“It means keeping country in a permanent state of polarisation, compelling people to live in a constant state of fear and insecurity, viciously targeting victimising and often brutalising minorities who are an integral part of our society and equal citizen of our republic.”

“It means using our societies age-old pluralities to divide us and subverting a carefully nurtured idea of unity and diversity. It means threatening and intimidating political opponents, maligning their reputation, jailing them on flimsy pretexts using investigative agencies.”

“Changes in organisation are need of the hour, we need to change the way of our working. We have to keep organisation above personal ambitions, the party has given us a lot and it is time to pay back,” the Congress interim president said.