Congress' scathing critique of BJP's 11 years in power: 11 years of false promises

Hours after BJP president J.P. Nadda released a document hailing the Modi government's achievements on the completion of 11 years in power, the nation's principal Opposition party issued a rebuttal, accusing the ruling party of spreading "falsehoods" and masking failures behind grand slogans.

Releasing a document titled ‘11 Saal Jhoothe Vikas Ke Vaade’, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and head of the party’s research department, Prof. Rajeev Gowda, laid out a detailed critique of what he described as the BJP’s “hollow promises and misleading claims”.

Poverty and hunger: A crisis, not an achievement

Responding to the Modi government's claim of poverty reduction through the free food grain scheme (PMGKAY), Gowda said, “They proudly claim that 81 crore people are receiving free food grains, but that in itself is an admission of mass poverty. India ranks 105th out of 127 countries in the World Hunger Index — this is no cause for celebration.”

He highlighted the implications of widespread malnutrition:

• Stunting among children: 35.5 per cent

• Wasting: 19.3 per cent

• Underweight children: 32.1 per cent

"Nearly a third of Indian children are malnourished — this is the reality of ‘viksit (developed) Bharat’,” he added.

Education and infrastructure: Grand plans, poor delivery

On the BJP’s claim of expanding Eklavya residential schools, Gowda pointed out that while over 700 schools were announced, nearly 300 remain non-functional. In the education sector as a whole, he flagged alarming vacancies:

• 5,000 teaching posts remain vacant in top universities (as of November 2024)

• AIIMS Delhi and other new AIIMS institutions face over 40 per cent faculty shortage

Defence and indigenisation: Big talk, slow progress

Gowda also questioned the claims of defence indigenisation, pointing out:

• 40 per cent of the 5,000 items listed for indigenisation have not been indigenised

• India remains among the world’s top defence importers

• 23 of the 55 ‘Mission Mode’ DRDO projects are delayed

• R&D constitutes just 5.45 per cent of India’s defence budget

Economy: Inequality and joblessness

Calling the BJP's claim of India being the "fastest-growing economy" misleading, Gowda asked, “Are we truly benefiting from our demographic dividend? Where are the jobs?”

He reminded that the BJP had promised 2 crore jobs annually — “a jumla that remains unfulfilled”.

The Congress leader also raised concerns over rising inequality:

• The top 1 per cent of the population controls 40 per cent of India’s wealth

• The bottom 50 per cent hold just over 3 per cent

"This is not the economy India needs. Without correcting such stark disparities, we cannot unlock India’s real economic potential,” Gowda said.

‘Jumla Sarkar’: One year's performance under fire

The Congress has released a second document titled ‘Ek Aur Baar Jumla Sarkar’, on the performance of the one year of the third Modi government in office. Supreme Court lawyer and Congress spokesperson Mahima Singh listed fresh failures:

• 12,717 start-ups shut down in 2024 alone

• Start-up funding has fallen from $38 billion (2021) to $14.4 billion (2024)

• 259 start-ups have shut shop in the first four months of 2025

"From ‘Start-Up India’ to ‘Shut-Down India’ — this is the harsh ground reality,” she said.

On the PM-Kisan scheme, Singh pointed out that while the government claims to have disbursed Rs 3.7 lakh crore to beneficiaries, 2.25 crore names were removed from the list between April 2022 and November 2023.

Rising crime, terror incidents, and image management

Referring to NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) data, Singh said crimes against women have doubled, with 4.5 lakh cases reported in 2022-23. She also raised questions about national security, citing four terrorist attacks in 18 months, and alleged inaction.

She took a dig at the Modi government's optics-driven approach:

• “Who built high walls and green curtains to hide slums during Namaste Trump and G-20 summits?”

• “Who had over 600 Indians returned home in chains by the US Navy?”

'No spirit of service, only spectacle'

Singh concluded, “They talk of service, but they lack both the spirit of dedication and the courtesy to communicate with the people. They boast of good governance, but where is the accountability?”

Reaffirming the Congress’ commitment to truth, she said: “We remind Narendra Modi that this country believes in satyameva jayate. Let the truth prevail — and do not fear it.”