The Congress in Kerala on Sunday accused the central government of having "miserably failed" to govern the nation and questioned how Prime Minister Narendra Modi can claim India would be a superpower and a developed country by 2047 when he was not doing anything for the poor.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the policies of the Modi government and the legislations passed by the Parliament were all in favour of corporate companies and went against labour.

They were reacting to Modi's claims, in an interview with PTI, in which the PM said: "By 2047, I am sure that our country will be among the developed countries. Our poor people will comprehensively win the battle against poverty. Health, education and social sector outcomes will be among the best in the world. Corruption, casteism and communalism will have no place in our national life." The Congress leaders said this was evident from the rise in prices of fuel and other petroleum products as well as essential commodities and was leading to a huge disparity being created between the haves and have-nots in the country.

"The entire policy, the approach of the Modi government has resulted in a big disparity between the haves and the have-nots. So, I do not know on what basis he (Modi) is claiming that in 2047 India will be a superpower," Satheesan told PTI.

He also alleged that the fiscal position of the country deteriorated since the implementation of demonetisation and became worse during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chennithala contended that people are unable to live properly in the country due to inflation, rising prices and unemployment and questioned what PM Modi has done for the people.

He alleged that all "false promises" were made by Modi with regard to various issues including unemployment and said that "this gimmick will not work" in next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Satheesan said many industries, especially the small and medium scale units, were in a decline, people were debt-ridden, recovery proceedings were going on across the country and the plight of the poor people was the worst.

He said that as prices of fuel and other commodities are on a rise, the central government was giving incentives to the upper class and the corporates.

"They (central government) are working only for the Adanis and Ambanis and not for the poor of India. So, they cannot claim that they have done good governance. They have miserably failed to govern the nation," the Congress leader said.

Satheesan also said that during the earlier Congress-led regimes at the Centre, all the legislations were in favour of the labourers, but under the Modi dispensation, they were in favour of the corporates.

Regarding the BJP's election plan for the general elections, he alleged that it was based on propagating hatred and dividing the people.

"Then only they can win. That is their strategy. The Congress plans to unite the people. So, we hope we will win," Satheesan said.

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