Modi govt sabotaging Winter Session of Parl on flimsy grounds: Sonia

New Delhi, Nov 20: Charging the Narendra Modi Government with 'sabotaging' the Winter Session of Parliament on 'flimsy grounds', Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday said the Centre had taken the extra ordinary step of not holding the session when it should be held to avoid questions and answer ahead of Gujarat elections. Addressing the Congress Working Committee, the Congress president said, 'The Modi-government in its arrogance has cast a dark shadow on India’s Parliamentary democracy by sabotaging the Winter Session of Parliament on flimsy grounds. The Government is mistaken if it thinks that by locking the temple of democracy, it will escape constitutional accountability ahead of the assembly elections.  Parliament is the forum in which questions should be asked – questions about corruption in high places, conflict of interest of serving ministers and dubious defence deals. Government will be obliged to answer these questions, but in order to avoid the questions and answer ahead of Gujarat elections, the government has taken the extra ordinary step of not holding a winter session when should be held. The Prime Minister had the audacity to have a midnight celebration in Parliament to launch an ill prepared and flawed GST but today he lacks the courage to face Parliament.' Attacking the Government on demonetisation and faulty implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, Ms Gandhi said, 'Unemployment, rising inflation, falling exports and GST are causing tremendous suffering to millions of people. A year later, demonetisation has done nothing but rub salt on the wounds of distressed farmers, small traders, housewives and daily workers.  "The fortunes of a handful are being built by destroying the future of the poor and the oppressed. Yet the Prime Minister continues with greater vigor, to make announcements, false promises, and to quote facts and figures that have nothing to do with the reality on the grounds.'She also charged the Central government with trying to change the history of modern India by systematically erasing the contributions made by former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. 'The Modi government is also forcefully trying to change the history of modern India by systematically erasing the contributions made by Pt Nehruji and Indira Gandhi – be it through rewriting school text books, through malicious misinformation and propaganda, or ignoring with disdain the importance of the birth centenary of Indiraji. This vilification is blatant and for all to see,' she said. She also called on the Congress leaders and workers to put all their efforts for a positive result in that state and defeat the present dispensation there. 'Rahul and many of you colleagues here and in Gujarat are working hard for a positive result in that state. Let us do our best to prove that people are not fooled and that they will make the right decision and defeat the present dispensation there,' she said. Expressing her satisfaction at the conclusion of the election process in the party, she thanked Chairman Mullapalli Ramachandran, members of the Central Election Authority and other party workers for carrying out this huge exercise with utmost diligence, integrity and impartiality. 'Over the last 18 months, the election process that has concluded in all but six states has elected block presidents, an equal number of delegates, primary units and party members. This has provided an opportunity for the party to interact with lakhs of workers across the country, starting from the booth level. This reaffirms that the party’s roots are spread across every district of the country and that no other political party can match the plurality and diversity of the Congress party. The electoral process, which began in May 2016, has now come to its culmination,'she said. The meeting of the CWC was called to approve the schedule for the election of the party president which will commence with the issuance of notification on December 1. UNI