Sonia hits back at Modi for blaming Congress for Parliament disruption

Rae Bareli : Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks on Parliament disruption, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday condemned "efforts to suppress her party's voice" whenever it tried to raise issues concerning the poor and common man in the House.

"Whenever Congress party tries to raise issues concerning the common people and the poor, its voice is suppressed and not only this, the blame is also put on it (Congress) and the Nehru-Gandhi family," she said.

Her retort came days after Modi, while addressing a rally in Guwahati apparently singled out the Gandhi family and accused the Congress President and her son Rahul of disrupting Parliament to avenge defeat in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Sonia was addressing office-bearers of 11 front organisations of the party on the second and last day of her visit to her Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency.

"Congress believes in composite culture but some forces are busy in spoiling the communal amity of the country... unfortunately these very forces have power in their hands at the Centre," she was quoted as saying in a party release here.

"They do not have faith in 'sarv dharma sambhav' and are weakening constitutional institutions," she told the office-bearers of Youth Congress, NSUI, Seva Dal, SC/ST cell among others.

On the Prime Minister's slogan against graft, Gandhi said that Modi's promises were "hollow" and his intentions were something other than what he claimed.

Modi had alleged that "one family" was indulging in "negative politics" as he claimed that there are leaders in opposition parties other than Congress who want Parliament to function even though they oppose him.

"Those who have lost the election (in 2014) and have come down from 400 to 40 have decided not to allow Modi to work.

They have decided to create obstacles and difficulties. The conspiracy for the same is going on," he had said.