Poll results moral defeat for Modi but he is continuing as if nothing changed: Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi, Jun 29: Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said the Lok Sabha poll verdict has signalled a "personal, political and moral defeat" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi but "he is continuing as if nothing has changed".
In a newspaper article, she claimed there is "not the slightest evidence that he (Modi) has come to terms with the electoral outcome or understand the verdict".
She said that when the prime minister's "emissaries sought unanimity for the post of Speaker", the opposition INDIA bloc agreed to support the government.
"But in keeping with convention and tradition, it was only fair and to be expected that the post of deputy speaker would be given to a member from the ranks of the opposition," Gandhi said.
But this "perfectly reasonable request" was found unacceptable by the government, she said, adding the opposition alliance is committed to restoring balance and productivity in Parliament.
"On June 4, 2024, the verdict of our country's electorate was delivered clearly and resoundingly. It signalled a personal, political, and moral defeat for a prime minister who had awarded himself a divine status during the campaign," the Congress leader said.
"Yet, the prime minister continues as if nothing has changed. He preaches the value of consensus but continues to value confrontation," she said.
She also described the mention of Emergency by the prime minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker and BJP leaders as an attempt to divert attention from the "assault on the Constitution".
"It is a fact of history that in March 1977 the people of our country gave a categorical verdict on the Emergency, which was accepted unhesitatingly and unequivocally," Gandhi said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on June 26 read out a resolution in the House condemning the imposition of Emergency in 1975 as an attack on the Constitution by then prime minister Indira Gandhi, triggering vociferous protests by the Congress.
Prime Minister Modi welcomed the Speaker's reference to Emergency in the Lok Sabha and said it was important for the youths as the period was a "fitting example of what happens when the Constitution is trampled over, public opinion is stifled and institutions are destroyed".
In the newspaper article on Saturday, Gandhi mentioned the passage of the three criminal laws and the suspension of 146 MPs from the two Houses of Parliament during the Winter Session and said the three legislations should be kept in abeyance till they have undergone full Parliamentary scrutiny.
Enacted last year, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam are set to replace the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively. The three new legislation will come into force from July 1.
About the ongoing controversy over the medical entrance exam NEET, Gandhi said, "The prime minister, who does his 'Pariksha pe Charcha', has been conspicuously silent on the leaks that have devastated so many families across the country."
Asserting that the opposition will continue to raise people's issues, she hoped that the prime minister and his government would respond positively.
"The initial evidence does not augur well, but we in the Opposition are committed to restoring balance and productivity in Parliament," she said.
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Centre further tightens wheat stock limit for wholesalers, retailers & processors
New Delhi: The government on Wednesday further tightened wheat stock holding norms for wholesalers, small and big chain retailers, and processors to curb hoarding and check price rise.
"As part of continuous efforts to moderate prices of wheat, the central government has decided to revise the wheat stock limit applicable until 31st March 2025," the food ministry said in a statement.
According to the revised norms, wholesalers are now allowed to maintain wheat stock up to 1,000 tonne instead of 2,000 tonne, retailer can hold 5 tonne for each outlet instead of 10 tonne, while big chain retailer can hold 5 tonne for each outlet instead of 10 tonne earlier.
Processors will be allowed to maintain 50 per cent instead of 60 per cent of their monthly installed capacity multiplied by the remaining months till April 2025.
The stock limits on wheat were first imposed on June 24 and later revised to tighten the norms on September 9 in order to manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation.
The ministry said all wheat stocking entities are required to register on the wheat stock limit portal (https://evegoils.Nic.In/wsp/login) and update the stock position every Friday.
If the stocks held by entities are higher than the prescribed limit, they should bring the quantity to the prescribed stock limits within 15 days of the issue of the notification.
Any entity which is found to have not registered on the portal or violates the stock limits will be subject to suitable punitive action under the Essential Commodities Act,1955.
The food ministry is maintaining close watch over the stock position of wheat to control prices and ensure easy availability in the country.
