As the Modi government 3.0 completed two years, the Congress on Tuesday (June 9) 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 the AICC Research Department’s 75-page document to rebut what it said was the government’s “prachar (propaganda)” on economy, jobs, foreign policy, energy, environment, climate change, agriculture, MSMEs, infrastructure, urban development, social sector, civil liberties, minorities, governance and law.
Promises versus ground reality
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 it had originally promised 12 cylinders for every beneficiary.
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“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.
“But the reality is that none of those headlines actually translate into anything that is meaningfully transforming the lives of the people,” he said.
He also noted that the government had promised to transform India into a global centre for employment generation, but claimed that four out of ten graduates remain unemployed. He said the urban youth unemployment rate is 18.4 per cent.
On equal opportunities, Gowda said India has slipped from 108th to 131st in the Global Gender Gap Index. He also claimed that 40,000 MSMEs shut down in the last financial year and said the impact of demonetisation continues to hurt the sector.
Congress flags economic woes
On the government’s promise to strengthen democracy, Gowda claimed that 6.5 crore voters have been deleted across the country.
Dubey said the price of LPG has increased by 123 per cent since 2014, while petrol prices have risen by 44 per cent and diesel by 73 per cent. He added that milk prices have gone up by 71 per cent and pulses by 84 per cent. He claimed that LNG production has decreased by 25 per cent and urea production has declined significantly.
“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 also claimed that foreign investors are leaving and Indian industrialists are investing abroad.
Development promise questioned
Dubey said the government’s infrastructure claims were contradicted by worsening pollution and environmental degradation.
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He alleged that smart cities are nowhere to be seen and claimed railways suffer from overcrowding, delays and safety concerns. Citing NCRB data, he said 22,413 people have died on railway tracks and there were 31 major rail accidents in 2024-25, while the Kavach system has been implemented on only 2 per cent of the tracks.
He also alleged that paper leaks continue and claimed the CBSE’s OSM system had tampered with students’ futures. “Our demand is — Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should immediately resign from his post,” Dubey said.
(With agency inputs)
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