Govt wants to ‘finish off democracy’, derail Parliament: Gaurav Gogoi

Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government, alleging that the ruling BJP under the prime minister’s leadership “wants to finish off democracy, derail Parliament and bury parliamentary traditions”.

Speaking to reporters after the all-party meeting held ahead of the Parliament’s Winter Session, Gogoi said the Congress had demanded structured debates on key national concerns, including national security, air pollution, purity of voter rolls, farmers’ issues, and foreign policy.

“It seems the government, under the leadership of the prime minister and the home minister, is looking to finish off India’s democracy and parliamentary traditions,” Gogoi claimed.

He said his party specifically sought a discussion on the security situation, particularly in the wake of the recent Delhi blast, but “the government does not want even a short-duration discussion on national security”.

Gogoi also questioned the functioning of the Election Commission, alleging bias “before, during and after elections”. “There should be a discussion on the purity of the voter list,” he said.

Air pollution was another issue the Congress wanted listed for debate during the session, he added.

On the economic front, Gogoi said farmers were “not getting the right prices”, and argued for a discussion on “economic security” and protection from natural disasters.

He further criticised India’s foreign policy direction, saying it was “being formulated on the basis of other countries”.

“Someone does not like us buying oil from Russia. Another country is investing in its defence and we are not ready,” he said.

Claiming that the opposition was united, Gogoi said they did not want Parliament — the “temple of democracy” — to be used merely to “sing paeans of just one person”.

“It seems the government wants to derail Parliament and bury parliamentary traditions,” he alleged.