A week into the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday said “there is not the slightest evidence that he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has… understood the verdict and reflected on the message sent to him by millions of voters”.

In an article in The Hindu, Sonia said: “The Prime Minister continues as if nothing has changed. He preaches the value of consensus but continues to value confrontation.”

Disappointed at the way Parliament is being conducted, she noted: “The first few days of the 18th Lok Sabha have sadly been far from encouraging…. Any hope that a new spirit of mutual respect and accommodation, let alone camaraderie would be fostered, has been belied.”

Though the Opposition locked horns with the government in Parliament on Friday demanding a dedicated discussion on NEET irregularities in both Houses, Sonia indicated the INDIA bloc’s intent to participate in the discussions on the motion of thanks to the President’s address from Monday onwards.

She said: “The INDIA bloc parties have made it clear that they do not seek a confrontationist attitude. The leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, has offered cooperation. The leaders of the constituents of the alliance have made clear that they are looking to being productive in Parliament and to impartiality in the conduct of its proceedings.

“It is our hope that the Prime Minister and his government will respond positively. The initial evidence does not augur well, but we in the Opposition are committed to restoring balance and productivity in Parliament, to ensure that the voice of the millions who have sent us there as their representatives is heard and their concerns are raised and addressed. We live in hope that the Treasury benches will step forward so that we can fulfil our democratic duties,” she added.

She also commented on Speaker Om Birla’s recent reference to the Emergency.

“The Emergency was dredged up by the Prime Minister and his party — astonishingly, even by the Speaker, whose position is incompatible with any public political stance other than one of strict impartiality. This attempt to divert attention away from
the assault on the Constitution, on its foundational principles and values, on the institutions it has created and empowered, does not augur well for the smooth functioning of Parliament,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

On the Emergency, Sonia said: “It is a fact of history that in March 1977 the people of our country gave a categorical verdict on the Emergency, which was accepted unhesitatingly and unequivocally. That less than three years later the party that was humbled in March 1977 was returned to power, with a majority never achieved by Mr. Modi and his party, is also very much part of that history.”

The CPP chairperson also sought to address the criticism that has been coming the Congress's way for not being vocal enough about the attacks on minorities in recent days.

She said: “The campaign of violence and intimidation against India’s minorities has once again intensified. In the BJP-ruled states, bulldozers are again demolishing the homes of minorities based on mere allegations, violating due process and inflicting collective punishment.

“None of this is surprising given the communal invective and blatant falsehoods that the Prime Minister inflicted on the people during the election campaign. He provocatively escalated the rhetoric out of fear that the election was slipping away from him, showing complete disregard for the dignity and maryada of his position,” she added.