PM Modi maintaining 'studious silence' on issues plaguing people of UP: Cong

The Congress on Sunday took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of maintaining a "studious silence" on key issues affecting the people of Uttar Pradesh, and failing women, farmers and youth.

Ahead of the prime minister's rally in Meerut, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions for him on behalf of the people of Uttar Pradesh.

Congress lists out issues

“To avoid having to come clean on his real intentions, he has maintained a "studious silence" on these key issues so far,” Ramesh said and went on to list the issues which he claimed the people of Uttar Pradesh are hoping to hear from the prime minister on.

"Publicly, PM Modi loves talking about women's empowerment and 'Nari Shakti' but he has repeatedly failed Indian women, even within his own party. Just two weeks ago, the BJP Mahila Morcha's national vice president quit the party, citing that female party workers were being 'insulted' and 'treated harshly'," Ramesh said.

"Another female leader, the president of the Mahila Morcha in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad, was physically assaulted by local leaders, and forced to turn to social media to demand justice," he claimed.

Ramesh alleged that when India's female wrestlers fought for justice last year, the Modi government was the first to betray them in pursuit of its political calculations.

"Will Mr. Modi finally acknowledge his failures, and take action against the accused?," he asked.

‘PM has failed farmers’

"Yesterday, the Modi Sarkar conferred the Bharat Ratna on two champions of India's farmers – Chaudhary Charan Singh and Dr MS Swaminathan. Even as the prime minister pays lip service to both these leaders, he has failed farmers consistently," he alleged.

Back in 2014, Modi used to often make promises to implement the Swaminathan Committee Report but since then, he has put the report in "cold storage", and suppressed attempts by India's farmers to protest for their rights and livelihoods, Ramesh claimed.

The Congress has guaranteed that it will give legal status to MSP, in accordance with the Swaminathan Commission's formula, he said.

"What is the prime minister's stance on the same Swaminathan Commission Report that he used to once tout?" Ramesh said.

Exam paper leaks

Raising the issue of examination paper leaks, Ramesh said under the Modi government's reign, at least 43 papers to exams for recruitment to government posts have been leaked over the last few years across the country, hurting the prospects of at least two crore candidates.

"Most recently, 60 lakh applicants for the UP Police Exams had their futures disrupted by the cancellation of the exam after the paper was leaked. These are not just numbers - these are the hopes and dreams of India's youth that are hanging in the balance," he said.

Under its Yuva Nyay Guarantee, the Congress has committed to bringing robust legislation that will design institutions and best practices to prevent paper leaks from occurring in the first place, Ramesh said.

"What is Mr. Modi's vision to address the harm done to our youth? What is the BJP's 'Double Engine' Sarkar doing to rectify its mistakes and ensure that our youth never face such injustice again?" he said and asked the prime minister to break his silence on these issues.

(With inputs from agencies)