Congress will restore democracy: Azad

Hyderabad: Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday promised that the Congress would restore democracy in the country and protect the women of the country.

Addressing a public meeting at Manneguda of Vikarabad district, organised in support of Congress candidate from Chevella Parliamentary constituency Visweswar Reddy, he said that democracy under threat in the country.

He said that dictatorship has been imposed and whoever criticises the NDA government at the Centre has been subjected to criminal cases. He alleged that anyone who takes a pot-shot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, has to face cases.

The Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax department and Central Bureau of Investigation have been used against them. He said that he never saw such a situation in the country. "I worked in the cabinets of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Narasimha Rao. But I never saw such a suppression of Opposition," he said.

Azad said that the Congress never abused the powers of ED, IT and CBI to suppress political rivals. He alleged that the Modi government at the Centre filed cases against Manmohan Singh, who is considered to be the most honest Prime Minister in the world.

He said that CBI filed cases against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, AICC president Rahul Gandhi, BSP chief Mayavati, SP president Akhilesh Yadav, DMK president Stalin and TMC president Mamatha Banarjee and added that there is no opposition party in the country which is not facing CBI cases.

He alleged that the NDA government has been denying coverage to the election campaign of the Congress and other opposition parties. The TV channels have been telecasting only programmes of NDA leaders though the attendance did not cross 1,000.

However, the public meetings of the Opposition leaders were not being telecast even though they were attended by lakhs of people. The TV channels have been telecasting the programmes of Prime Minister and other Union Ministers round the clock.

Azad exhorted the audience to come forward to wage a fight against the Centre to liberate the country from dictatorship and the TV channels from suppression with the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi.

He alleged that like in Gujarat, MLAs of the opposition parties were bought for Rs 30 crore in Telangana. Stating that the Centre has failed to protect the women, Azad said that the three and four years girls have been raped which did not happen in India during the Congress regimes.

He said that the TRS government has cheated Muslims by promising 12 per cent reservation. Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao knows very well that it was not possible to give 12 per cent reservation.

Chevella Congress candidate Konda Visweswar Reddy said that the TRS has been admitting the 'weed' of the Congress. He said that the leaders who want to fight against the government were still with the Congress.