The Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of tearing apart the country's dignity and democracy and claimed that various tactics were being used to force opposition leaders to join the BJP.

Addressing an election event of the party here, Sonia Gandhi claimed that for the last 10 years, the country has been in the hands of a government that left no stone unturned to promote unemployment, inflation, economic crisis and inequality.

"Today our country's democracy is in danger. Democratic institutions are being destroyed and a conspiracy is being hatched to change our Constitution," she alleged, adding, "This is a dictatorship and we all will give a reply to this." "Considering himself great, Modi ji is tearing apart the dignity of the country and its democracy. Fear is being installed in the entire system" the former Congress chief said.

Asserting that the country "is not the property of a few people and it belongs to everyone", she said, "Our ancestors have shed blood for it." Sonia Gandhi also alleged that various tactics were being used to intimidate opposition leaders and force them to join the BJP.

In his address at the event, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described PM Modi as a "leader of liars" and sought to know what steps he has taken to fulfil the guarantees given by him earlier.

He questioned the country's foreign policy under the BJP government and claimed that China encroaching on Indian land and changing the names of Indian villages but PM Modi was not talking about it.

Kharge said, "He (Modi) claims that he has a 56-inch chest.... whether it is 56 inch, 55 or 54, (we) will call a tailor, measure it and see what it is." "PM Modi, his people and the RSS say that if you give two-thirds majority, we will change the constitution of this country," the Congress president said.

Referring to the prime minister's public address in Churu on Friday, Kharge said Modi talked about Article 370 abrogation at a place where he should have talked about the works he did for farmers.

In its rule for 55 years, the Congress worked for the development of the country. It built infrastructure and created institutions such as the IITs and IIMs. But Modi is taking credit just by flagging off trains on tracks laid by Congress governments," he said.

Kharge also accused the PM of stealing the word 'guarantee' and said that Congress governments fulfilled guarantees in states where it was in rule.

Addressing the event earlier, the party's national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra referred to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's arrest by federal agencies to claim that the opposition was under attack under the BJP rule at the Centre.

"They are taking corrupt people into their party fold. Such people become clean by joining the party and no one raises the matter anymore," she said.

Priyanka Gandhi claimed that the BJP government was favouring a few industrialists and handing over the properties of the nation to them. However, many industrialists create jobs and favouring a few industrialists was an injustice to others, she claimed.

"You see how big industrialists live... the country's property is handed over, their loans are waived while farmers commit suicide," she said.

Addressing the event, Priyanka Gandhi said, "You are not getting correct information. The time has come to recognise what the reality is. All you hear is 'Abki baar 400 Paar' (This time, 400-plus seats), and you see Modi in the sea and travelling abroad. That is what is visible. It is not clear what the condition of the country is." She alleged that the Modi government would give 5 kg ration to the poor but would not provide employment. "You have to become aware. Injustice is happening in your life, whether you are poor or weak or a labourer, you are not heard," she told the gathering.

"Unemployment and inflation at peak and paper leaks are happening in every state. There no one to listen to the poor and the farmers," the national general secretary said.

Priyanka Gandhi also said, "We have named our manifesto 'Nyay Patra'. This manifesto is not just a list of announcements that we will forget after the elections. This is the voice of the nation that wants justice." She also highlighted the guarantees given by the party in its election manifesto.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, the Congress' state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot also addressed the programme.

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