Congress, in power, had ‘insulted’ all institutions: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday attacked the Congress Party, accusing it of insulting institutions, including Parliament, the judiciary, media and the armed forces, when it was in power, and urged people to “think wisely” before casting their vote in the Lok Sabha polls beginning April 11.

His government has changed things as it puts institutions above everything else, the Prime Minister said in a blog post. “As you go to vote — remember the past and how one family’s desire for power cost the nation so greatly. If they could do it then, they can surely do it now,” Mr Modi wrote.

“Think wisely: From the press to Parliament. From soldiers to free speech. From the Constitution to the courts. Institutional insult is the Congress way. Everyone is wrong, only the Congress is correct,” he said, in a dig at the principal Opposition party.

India has seen that whenever dynastic politics has been powerful, institutions have taken a severe beating, he said. Referring to parliamentary proceedings, he said: “The nation knows the numerical dynamics of both houses. It is clear that when a non-dynasty party [has a] higher number, its tendency to work more is visible ... Which
 were the forces disrupting the House and why.”

Discussing the freedom of expression, the PM alleged that dynastic parties had never been comfortable with a free and vibrant press.

“No wonder, the very first constitutional amendment brought in by the Congress government sought to curtail free speech. Speaking truth to power, which is the hallmark of a free press, was seen as vulgar and indecent,” Mr Modi wrote.

He noted that the UPA years saw the bringing of a law that could land you in prison for posting anything “offensive”. He added: “A tweet against the son of a powerful UPA minister could land innocent citizens in jail... The nation watched with horror when a few youngsters were arrested for expressing their true feelings at a programme in Karnataka, where the Congress is sharing power.”

Mr Modi said he wants to tell the Congress that “no amount of intimidation” will change the ground realities. “Curbing freedom of expression will not change people’s poor impression of the party,” he added.