New Delhi: As the Modi government 3.0 completed two years, the Congress on Tuesday released a “promise versus reality” document and said that over the last 12 years, promises have been accompanied by big announcements, grand statements and headlines but in reality none of that translated into transforming the lives of the people.
Congress leaders Rajeev Gowda and Amitabh Dubey released AICC Research Department’s 75-page document to rebut what it said was government’s “prachar (propaganda)” on economy, jobs, foreign policy, energy, environment, climate change, agriculture, MSMEs, infrastructure, urban development, social sector, civil liberties and minorities governance and law.
Addressing a press conference with party colleague Dubey, AICC Research Department head Gowda said the Modi government has announced that it is cutting the number of LPG cylinders provided to Ujjwala beneficiaries from nine to four when just ten years ago, it was announced that the women of India would no longer have to rely on dangerous and harmful methods of cooking, and promised 12 cylinders for every beneficiary of the Ujjwala programme.
“Last year, the 12 cylinders were cut to 9. Today, on the anniversary of his swearing-in as Prime Minister for the third time, he has chosen to strike this blow against the women and families of India,” Gowda said.
Over the last 12 years, promises have been accompanied by big announcements, grand statements, and headlines, he said.
“But the reality is that none of those headlines actually translate into anything that is meaningfully transforming the lives of the people,” the Congress leader said.
Noting that the Modi government promised to transform Bharat into a global centre for employment generation but the reality is that four out of ten graduates remain unemployed.
“The urban youth unemployment rate is 18.4 per cent, and only 7 per cent of unemployed graduates secure a permanent salaried job within a year,” he said.
On the government’s promise of giving equal opportunities for all, Gowda said, “We were ranked 108th in the Global Gender Gap Index. Now, we have fallen to 131st in the world. So, we are failing one half of our population by not creating opportunities for women to enter the workforce.”
Noting that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are the backbone and the job creators of the Indian economy, Gowda said that in the last financial year, 40,000 MSMEs shut down.
“The damage caused by demonetisation continues, and the MSMEs sector continues to bear the brunt,” he said.
On government’s promise to strengthen democracy, Gowda claimed that 6.5 crore voters have been deleted across the country.
“We have a situation where our democracy is deeply flawed, and this is a real tragedy for every citizen of India,” he said.
In his remarks at the presser, Dubey recalled that Modi had said people will get relief from inflation, but the “truth is that from 2014 until now, the price of LPG has increased by 123 per cent”.
“The price of petrol has risen by 44 per cent and diesel by 73 per cent. The price of milk has gone up by 71% and pulses by 84 per cent,” he said.
On government’s that India will be ‘vishwaguru’, Dubey said the current situation is visible to everyone as to how much impact the ongoing war in one part of the world is having on India.
The government claimed that India is going to be self-reliant in fertilizer production, but the truth is that LNG production has decreased by 25 per cent and urea production has declined significantly, he said.
“Narendra Modi had claimed that India would become the world’s third largest economy and reach a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024. But the reality today is that the economy has fallen below USD 4 trillion, and India has slipped to the sixth largest economy,” Dubey said.
He pointed out that the rupee is continuously falling against the dollar, which is directly impacting India’s economy and creating a deep economic crisis.
“Recently, the GDP growth rate was reported at 7.7 per cent, but the country is still consistently missing its GDP targets. The reason is that foreign investors are leaving. Even India’s own industrialists are investing abroad instead of in the country. This is the impact of the Modi government’s policies on the country’s economy,” Dubey said.
The Modi government had claimed it would strengthen infrastructure, but the truth is that today people in the country are suffering from scorching heat and pollution because this government is continuously destroying forests, he said.
“Narendra Modi used to talk about smart cities, but today smart cities are nowhere to be seen. The Modi government makes a lot of publicity about the railways, but the truth is that trains are severely overcrowded, run late, and safety in the railways is a major issue,” he said.
According to NCRB data, 22,413 people have died on railway tracks. In 2024-25, there have been 31 major rail accidents, and the Kavach system has been implemented on only 2 per cent of the tracks, Dubey pointed out.
“The Modi government had claimed that the education system would be modernized, whereas the truth is that paper leaks are happening continuously. The CBSE’s OSM system has tampered with students’ futures, and there has been foul play in the tendering process as well. So far, 89 paper leaks have occurred and 48 re-exams have been conducted,” he said.
“Our demand is – Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should immediately resign from his post,” Dubey said.
