Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, “There is a rise in bank<\/a> frauds, skyrocketing of India\u2019s debt<\/a> to Rs 139-lakh crore in FY2022, reckless privatization, and huge price rise.”\u00a0 He also said “BJP is inciting hatred to distract people\u2019s attention from real issues:\u00a0 “BJP and its government have been and are at war with its own people, be it the youth, the women, the poor, the Scheduled Tribes, the Scheduled Castes, backward and the minorities\u201d.<\/p>\n After BJP president J P Nadda lashed out at the opposition parties, the Congress hit back saying it is the saffron party and its government which continue to feed people the \u201copium of communal polarisation\u201d by \u201cinciting violence and hatred\u201d to distract their attention from price rise, unemployment and a shattered hope for the future.<\/p>\n \u201cAs India celebrates the 75th year of the country\u2019s Independence, your quest to seek revenge against our glorious history and hard-fought freedom by half-truths and post-truths can\u2019t be the bedrock of a nation aspiring to lead in the 21st Century. The last eight years will be marked in India\u2019s history for a vicious attack on the Constitution, its ethos and every institution built to safeguard our democracy,\u201d\u00a0 Randeep Surjewala said.<\/p>\n He said the \u201cBJP and its government have been and are at war with its own people, be it the youth, the women, the poor, the Scheduled Tribes, the Scheduled Castes, backward and the minorities\u201d.<\/p>\n The Congress questioned the government\u2019s track record on several counts. Surjewala said the Indian economy is in shambles under the Modi government. He said the income of 84 percent of Indians has declined, signaling growing inequality. \u201cThere is a 53 percent drop in income for the 15-crore poorest households. And the NSO report suggests that the average income of the farmers is Rs 27 per day and the average debt per farmer is Rs 74,000,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cData reflects a grim picture of unemployment crossing 8-10% consistently for three years now. Neither there are jobs nor is there hope for job creation. We stand at 101st in a list of 115 countries in the Global Hunger Index. We stand at 142nd out of 180 nations in the World Press Freedom index. We stand at 53rd position in EIU\u2019s Democracy Index,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Surjewala asked Nadda whether he does not have any remorse about \u201cletting 23-crore Indians slip into poverty of which 4.7 crore Indians have slipped to extreme poverty\u201d and shot out, \u201cyour government has undone all the good work of the Congress when we lifted nearly 27-crore people out of poverty\u201d.<\/p>\n He pointed out the rise in bank frauds, skyrocketing of India\u2019s debt to Rs 139-lakh crore in FY2022, reckless privatization, and huge price rise.<\/p>\n Talking about the ticking bomb of unemployment, he said \u201cthere are over 8.7 lakh vacancies in the central government alone and over 30 lakh when combined with states. What explains over 1 lakh positions lying vacant in the army? Your government is turning India\u2019s demographic dividend into a disaster. And it is these unemployed youth who are being drawn into violence and hate by the lunatic fringe elements\u201d.<\/p>\n The Congress also accused the government of having compromised national security. \u201cEven today\u2026Chinese continue to occupy important strategic places within our territory in Depsang Plains and Gogra Hot Springs,\u201d Surjewala said.<\/p>\n Talking about the politics of polarization, he said, \u201cWhile parts of India are ravaged by riots and violence why is the Prime Minister so conspicuously silent? Why does he not denounce hatred no matter where it comes from? Why do perpetrators of hate get political patronage? Why are those who incite violence rewarded and, most of all, why are youth being incentivized to attack and abuse? Your attempts to perpetuate hate, stoke communal tension, and divide are dangerous for our nation and our people.\u201d<\/p>\n Article 19’s journalist Naveen Kumar shared about how India is now in the stage where Sri Lanka was two years ago and in another two years, India will be in the same state as Sri Lanka.\u00a0 India is presently 139 lakh crores in debt.<\/p>\n