Rahul Gandhi on Monday questioned the appointment of Manoj Soni as the chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) because of his close association with the RSS-BJP.
Though the Congress leader didn’t refer to Soni directly, he made a scathing critique of the Narendra Modi government’s choice by describing UPSC as “Union Pracharak Sangh Commission”. Attaching a report on Soni’s rapport with the RSS-BJP with his post, Rahul tweeted, “India’s Constitution is being demolished, one institution at a time.”
The report recalled how Soni’s appointment created unease among academicians as well as politicians because of his close ties with the BJP. He served as the vice-chancellor of the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Gujarat’s Vadodara. During his tenure, the RSS and the
BJP members were alleged to have undue influence in the university’s function. The report points out that Soni has been linked to the Swaminarayan sect in Gujarat. The UPSC, which conducts examinations for top government jobs including IAS and IPS, has been headed by either former IAS officers or eminent people with exceptional administrative experience.
Rahul has been ceaselessly attacking the Modi government for undermining institutions, going to the extent of saying that the Constitution was not in force because institutions supposed to implement it are controlled by the RSS-BJP. The Congress has often criticised the central agencies, Election Commission, the media and even judiciary for not acting autonomously under this regime.
Even on Monday the Congress, in a statement in response to the BJP chief J.P. Nadda’s open letter, said: “Last eight years will be marked in India’s history for a vicious attack against the Constitution, its ethos and every institution built to safeguard our democracy. The 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, backwards and the minorities.”
Giving a point-wise rebuttal to Nadda’s claims and insinuations against the Congress, party’s communications chief Randeep Surjewala said the Modi regime had ruined the economy, pushed back millions of people below poverty line, created unprecedented unemployment even as over 30 lakh vacancies existed only in the government sector, facilitated bank frauds and triggered communal tension in the society. “Your attempts to perpetuate hate, stoke communal tension and divide are dangerous for our nation and our people,” Surjewala said, giving details of sector-wise performance to substantiate his charges.
The statement said: “Modi government’s rule reveals an abysmal decline of the country’s core indices: Growing income inequality — income of 84 per cent Indians declined. Over 53 per cent drop in income for the 15 crore poorest households. Contrast it to the surge in wealth of the richest 100 Indians to Rs 57 lakh crore as against Rs 23 lakh crore two years earlier. NSO report reflects that the average income of the farmers is Rs 27 per day and the average debt per farmer is Rs 74,000. We stand at 142 out of 180 nations in World Press Freedom index and at 53 in EIU’s Democracy Index.”
Giving details, Surjewala said: “Bank frauds to the tune of Rs five lakh crore have happened. In last eight years, the government has written off almost Rs 11 lakh crore for its capitalist friends and fraudsters like Neerav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya. India’s debt has skyrocketed to Rs 139 lakh crore in 2022. It means that in 67 years, all governments together took a debt of merely Rs 56.51 lakh crore and Modi government has taken an additional debt of Rs 78.49 lakh crore.”
He added: “The government has decided to put India on sale. Reckless privatisation where profitable PSUs and the Railways are being sold. The government has built monopolies for only a handful of the Prime Minister’s chosen capitalist friends. Prices of essential items are breaking the back of common man. The government has robbed people of Rs 26 lakh crore via fuel taxes.”
