In a scathing attack on the BJP government, Pawan Khera, National Spokesperson Congress has asked said that BJP is remote-controlled by RSS, an unregistered organization based in Nagpur that decides on who will be the PM of the country and lead the country, yet no question is asked to them.
Asking how party leaders Amit Shah, JP Nadda, and earlier LK Advani were elected to the post of party president, Khera questioned how RSS chief or Mohan Bhagwat have been elected.
“How were Amit Shah, JP Nadda, and LK Advani elected to the post of party president of BJP. Who elected Amit Shah? Was he elected with votes? Even if you leave aside Amit Shah, is RSS chief elected or is Mohan Bhagwat elected? Then why does it sit on the judgment of everyone’ he asked.
“BJP is remote-controlled by RSS, an unregistered organization in Nagpur which decides who will be the PM of the country and who will lead the country and no question is asked to them? But the question is a 135-year-old democratic political party that has a history” he said.
Khera was speaking to Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now on when will Congress have an elected President during the webcast of the Visionary Talk series held by the public policy and governance analysis platform.
Responding to a question on leadership crisis in Congress, Khera said that much as BJP would like everyone to believe there is no leadership crisis in the Congress party. “Rahul Gandhi is the only leader in the country who can speak to Modi's eye to eye on issues,” he said.
He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had the courage to own responsibility for the defeat in the 2019 elections and resigned from the post of party president when it was a collective responsibility of everyone.
Khera said Congress has a well-oiled system in place. The party has general secretaries in charge of the states and a general secretary who is in charge of the organization. He said without systems in place Congress would not have won elections over the years nor been in power.
While speaking on India’s foreign policy, Khera said for PM Narendra Modi’s foreign policy is nothing but diaspora events. “You cannot have a foreign policy with event management. Modi loves mega-events. If diaspora events helped would China have intruded in our country? The prime minister denied that there was an incursion. Why is Modi afraid of China. He gives a clean chit to China and says there was no excursion” he said.
Khera added that because Modi is afraid of China, he did not even wish Dalai Lama on his birthday last year, and the year before that his govt canceled an event in Delhi to honor the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Khera also said that irrespective of which govt is in power foreign policy is a continuous process and does not get influenced by changes in domestic politics. “If one prime minister decided to visit several countries and do diaspora events there and influence domestic politics with his foreign travels, that is his style,” said Khera.
“People don’t need Modi’s rhetoric now. India needs a change now.”
On being asked if India will meet its vaccination deadline in December 2021, Khera said, “to meet its vaccination deadline the govt has to ensure to daily 86,50,000 vaccinations procure 35 crore vaccines every month. Since we are not able to match this figure, it is unlikely the govt will meet the deadline.”
He said the reason behind IMF projections downgrading India figures is issues of vaccines. “Vaccine is not only to ensure that we stay alive. The vaccine is also for our economy, lives, and livelihoods; both.
While speaking on Pegasus snooping issue Khera said so far, the govt has not denied its use of Pegasus software. If it has not, it should come out with a statement to the effect and launch an inquiry.
“Phones of supreme court officers, CBI Director, senior leaders of the ruling party as well as opposition leaders, women journalists’, women family members of bureaucrats and even RSS leaders getting hacked is a serious issue. Govt should come out with a statement that it did not buy Pegasus and in that case, launch an inquiry in the national interest. The prime minister is standing with China and Israel but not with his own country. Why” asked Khera.
On disruptions in Parliament, Khera said Congress is a party with 50 parliamentarians. He said govt does not want to discuss issues concerning the country like farmers' issues, Pegasus snooping, covid and related deaths. “If they run away from discussing issues of the parliamentary standing committee how do you expect them to carry on with parliament session. BJP does not want to run parliament sessions because they will be shown the mirror which they don’t want to see” he said.