India’s security situation in shambles, inflation and unemployment all-time high, says Chidambaram

Hyderabad: The historic Congress Working Committee (CWC) was convened on Saturday in Hyderabad. The CWC comprised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, along with 84 members, including four chief ministers.

The leaders discussed at length the economic, political and security situation in the country. Sonia Gandhi is also said to have addressed the CWC members briefly. The event also marked Mallikarjun Kharge’s debut as the leader of the CWC meeting, his first since his appointment as party chief in October last year.

“Today 27 INDIA parties stand together on fundamental issues of importance. After three successful meetings, the INDIA alliance is forging ahead to combat the anti-people and anti-democratic BJP government,” said Mallikarjun Kharge.

Addressing the media, the committee briefly spoke about the topics discussed in the meeting.

Unrest in Manipur and Kashmir

“The CWC has taken into account the situation emerging from different states. We have discussed in detail the external and internal political, economic and security threats in the country,” said P Chidambaram, senior Congress leader and former Union minister.

Speaking on the security issues in the country, Chidambaram mentioned the ongoing situation in Manipur and Kashmir. “Manipur has been burning since May 5 But the prime minister has still not visited the state yet. Security issues in Kashmir continue with the killing of Army personnel but the Central government has submitted to the Supreme Court, in the case debating Article 370, that the situation there is normal, which is not the case,” he said.

Chidambaram also said that the Central government also continues to ignore Chinese incursions into India.

“The states are being threatened by the Central government. In Karnataka, Congress' poll promise included distributing rice. However, the Food Corporation is not being allowed to supply the rice,” he said.

“Similarly, in Himachal Pradesh, the devastation from floods needs Central intervention. However, the Central government is not willing to release funds. The Congress party has appealed to the Centre to declare National Diasater in Himachal Pradesh,” he added.

The Congress leaders said that retail inflation is at an all-time high and food inflation is 10 per cent. They assured people that if elected to power, the Congress would distribute gas cylinder prices at Rs 500 per cylinder.

Chidambaram pointed out that unemployment in the country is at 8.5 per cent and the exports are down for the seventh successive month.

Congress rejects One Nation, One Election

Rejecting the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, Chidambaram said that the proposal goes against the Constitution. “To pass such as proposal, the government would need five amendments to the Constitution which they would not be able to achieve,” he said.

Similarly, he also said that even though both words, Bharat and India, exist in the Constitution, the BJP is using the controversy to divert people’s attention from the real issues. This is also the case with BJP stoking the debate around Sanatana Dharma, said Chidambaram.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated that politics and religion should not be mixed.