YS Sharmila accuses PM Modi's government of running 'undeclared emergency'

Eluru (Andhra Pradesh) Jun 27 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila on Friday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the country has been under an "undeclared Emergency" for 11 years.
    Sharmila said that democratic institutions have been crippled, national wealth handed to corporates, and communal tensions fuelled, drawing comparisons between the 2002 Godhra train burning incident and the Emergency imposed in 1975 by the then PM Indra Gandhi.
    "Compared to the 1975 Emergency, this (NDA regime) is worse. Today, people fear speaking out. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax (IT), and Election Commission (EC) are all under BJP's grip," said Sharmila, addressing a press conference.
    Sharmila accused the BJP and its allies— TDP, Janasena Party, and the opposition YSRCP—of being silent over the alleged reduction and dilution of Polavaram project.
    She said that the Polavaram Project, once designed to uplift lives, has been 'reduced to a mere barrage' and allegedly denied Rs 80,000 crore in Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) benefits for the affected families of this project.
    She further said that in Parliament, no MP had the courage to raise a voice, alleging that PM Modi's double-engine governance burdens the state with loans but not grants.
    "PM Modi talks about yoga but ignores public problems. He hasn't visited Manipur yet. Is this not an Emergency?" she questioned during her press conference in Eluru.
    She said that only the Congress can resolve bifurcation issues of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, build a capital city, and deliver a Special Category Status (SCS) by returning to power.
    Referring to the Congress as a 'mighty ocean', she said all tributaries must eventually merge into it, including YSRCP.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)