Narendra Modi government as 'terrible' as UPA, says AAP

New Delhi, Nov 23: The Narendra Modi government has proved "just as terrible" as the UPA regime it replaced, Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on Monday.

A resolution passed at its National Council meeting also dubbed the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) strategy of "manufactured intolerance a grave threat to the Idea of India".

In its strongest ever attack on the Modi government, the AAP said people replaced in 2014 "the most corrupt government in Indian history with an alternative that promised development and good governance.

"In the past 18 months, that alternative, the BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance), has proved just as terrible."

The resolution said corruption pervaded all levels of the central government, economic growth was lacklustre, employment generation was negligible, social-sector spending had fallen, and the agrarian economy had been left to fend for itself.

"Politically, the BJP has stayed true to its past and gone on to try and tear the social fabric that delicately binds Indian society. The real agenda of the BJP is intolerance and the purpose is dividing society for political gains."

The AAP said this "manufactured intolerance" had been rejected by people, first in Delhi and then in Bihar. "But BJP's continued attempts to make it the centre-piece of its political strategy is a grave threat to the Idea of India."

BJP has gone on to try and tear the social fabric: AAP

The AAP, which swept to power in Delhi in February after crushing the BJP, vowed to "politically oppose all corrupt and communal forces which in our view are the primary danger to Indian society".

On a proposal moved by Sarita Singh, one of its 67 legislators, and seconded by Delhi unit leader Dilip Pandey, the National Council adopted three resolutions.

It said the years since an anti-corruption movement evolved into the AAP "have been a great learning experience".

Insisting people believe that only the AAP could provide corruption-free governance and adhere to its basic tenets of Swaraj, secularism and social harmony, the AAP pledged to spread and deepen its party organisation.

The AAP also accused the Modi government of diluting the country's federal structure.

"India can only prosper as a collective if democratically-elected individual state governments are allowed to function. Since the advent of the present NDA government, state governments are being undermined at the behest of the central government.

"Instead of cooperative federalism, the country is witnessing selective targeting of non-NDA state governments through the offices of Governors and Lt. Governors."

The AAP said it will build public opinion and oppose the Modi government's totalitarian attitude towards non-NDA state governments".

IANS