Remarks of CPP’s Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi at the CPP General Body Meeting at the Central Hall, Samvidhan Sadan on April 3, 2025.

It feels good to be back in this historic Central Hall, a place filled with fond memories for so many of us. In the past, we could sit together, meet with colleagues, interact with members of other parties, and engage with the media—things we can no longer do in the new Parliament building.

We are coming to the end of a fairly long session that has been eventful as well. The Budget has been presented and debated. So have the Finance and Appropriations Bills. Many of you have taken part in these discussions. You have all effectively highlighted the real state of the economy. You have exposed the vast gap between what the Government claims and what the overwhelming reality is in relation to price rise, unemployment and growing inequalities.

The Standing Committees have submitted their reports on demand for grants for various ministries. I am glad that our colleagues who chair four such committees have been providing forceful leadership. You have used these reports to build a larger consensus to hold the Government to account. This is especially so in agriculture, rural development and education. However, we had also demanded a debate on a number of issues of public importance. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the ruling party had denied these too. For instance, we wanted a detailed discussion in the Lok Sabha on the working of the ministries of defence and of external affairs. Both these subjects are of critical importance given the increasingly turbulent political atmosphere in our neighbourhood, but this was disallowed.

We have been asking for a discussion in both Houses on the grave challenges posed by China on our borders and the shocking clean-chit given to it by the Prime Minister on June 19, 2020. His statement adversely impacted our negotiating position, but that too was refused. Meanwhile, imports from China are booming and destroying our MSMEs that are the main job creators in the economy.

Gone are the days when the ruling party was accommodative of the Opposition, when debates and discussion used to take place in both Houses, and as MPs we looked forward to them. We have also repeatedly been raising the issue of free and fair elections and the need for Parliament to debate the functioning of the Election Commission and its opaque rules and procedures. Some of these rules and procedures are presently under challenge in the Supreme Court. Even a short-duration discussion on this subject was also not allowed.

Further, it is a matter of grave concern to our democracy that the LOP in the Lok Sabha is not permitted to speak. Similarly, time-and-again, the LOP in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge Ji is also not allowed to say what he wants to say and indeed must say. Like you, I have been witness to how the House gets adjourned not because of us but because of the protests by the Treasury Benches themselves. This is quite extraordinary and shocking, designed to prevent the Opposition from raising their concerns that would put the Government on the spot.

Yesterday, the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, was passed in the Lok Sabha and today it is scheduled to come up in the Rajya Sabha. The bill was in effect bulldozed through. Our Party’s position is clear. The Bill is a brazen assault on the Constitution itself. It is very much part of the BJP’s deliberate strategy to keep our society in a state of permanent polarization.

The ‘One Nation, One Election Bill’ is another subversion of the Constitution. We strongly oppose this legislation as well. Meanwhile, our plea for the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill passed by both Houses two years back continues to be wilfully ignored along with the other demand for one-third reservation for women belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBC communities.

A couple of specific issues raised by us in the past few weeks during Zero Hour, must be reinforced outside Parliament as well. The RTI, MGNREGA, Forest Rights Act and the Land Acquisition Act-four transformative laws enacted during Dr. Manmohan Singh’s Prime Ministership—are markedly getting diluted. The National Food Security Act, 2013, has ensured food security for over 80 crore Indians. But, another at least 14 crore have been denied their legal entitlements due to the Modi Government’s unprecedented failure to conduct the Census that was due in 2021. Both Congress President and I have drawn attention to this and I hope all of you will take this forward in your respective areas.

In brief, whether it is education, civil rights and liberties, our federal structure or conduct of elections, the Modi government is dragging the country into an abyss where our Constitution will remain on paper and we know their intention is to demolish even that. It is vital for all of us to continue to fight for what is right and just, to expose Modi government’s failing and intention to turn India into a surveillance state. Of course, we all know that the Prime Minister has rebranded, repackaged and marketed numerous initiatives taken during 2004-2014 as his own personal accomplishments. That too needs to be exposed through our own public outreach activities.

Friends, I want to raise one issue relating to our functioning in Parliament. I find BJP members aggressively target our state governments, with total falsehoods especially during Zero Hour. I think all of you should be equally aggressive and raising the failures and mis-governance in BJP-ruled states. This will mean much more pointed homework and research on our part.
Congress President has been meeting with our colleagues from states that go to the polls over the next twelve months. A meeting with DCC Presidents was held last week and two more are scheduled for today and tomorrow. Thereafter, next week, the AICC session will be held in Ahmedabad. I look forward to seeing you again there. Thank You!