New Delhi, Jul 13 (UNI) Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh on Monday launched a fresh attack on the Narendra Modi government, alleging that the Prime Minister's oft-repeated anti-corruption pledge of "Na Khaunga, Na Khane Doonga" (I will neither indulge in corruption nor allow it) had been thoroughly discredited over the past 12 years through a series of alleged scams, cronyism and governance failures.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in May 2014 promising clean governance, but claimed that "this was a hoax" that became evident soon afterwards.
Referring to the November 8, 2016 demonetisation, the Congress leader recalled that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had described the move as "organised loot and legalised plunder."
Ramesh further alleged that the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) was forcibly merged with ONGC to conceal a "Rs 20,000 crore scam" dating back to Modi's tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister. He also accused the government of introducing the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme, describing it as a "gigantic Rs 4 lakh crore 'Chanda Do, Dhanda Lo' scam."
"The explosive growth of the Modani empire revealed the true nature of the Modi regime, as was proved by the 100 questions asked of the Prime Minister in the INC's 'Hum Adani Ke Hain Kaun' series," Ramesh said. He added that questions surrounding the Rafale fighter aircraft deal had never been satisfactorily answered and also criticised the PM CARES Fund as "wholly non-transparent and non-accountable."
The Congress leader further alleged that even a weakened Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had reported significant irregularities in flagship government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
Listing what he described as recent examples of alleged corruption and abuse of power, Ramesh referred to the alleged theft of offerings at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, claiming it had "shocked the nation's conscience." He also cited the continuation in office of the Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh despite what he called serious allegations against them, alleged inducements to engineer defections in opposition parties, and accused a union Minister of State of continuing in office despite allegedly receiving a subsidy under a scheme administered by his own ministry.
He also questioned the dismissal of four close aides of the union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, saying it raised "legitimate doubt" about possible wrongdoing. Ramesh further alleged that decisions relating to the E20 ethanol-blended fuel programme were being taken to benefit the family of the union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, and claimed that members of the Delhi Chief Minister's family were actively participating in governance despite holding no official positions.
The Congress leader also targeted union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accusing the Prime Minister of continuing to back him despite what he described as a "corrupt and compromised examination system" that had betrayed the aspirations of millions of students.
Ramesh further alleged that the Modi government had replaced its promise of clean governance with concealment of wrongdoing.
"Modi has delivered Minimum Governance, Maximum Cover-Ups. With him it has always been 'Khaunga, Khane Doonga, Aur Khilaunga'," he said.
The BJP has consistently rejected the Congress's allegations of corruption and cronyism, maintaining that the Modi government has strengthened transparency, digitised governance, and taken decisive action against corruption.
UNI SKA ARN