Congress releases ‘promise versus reality’ report, says Modi government has failed to deliver on its pledges

Published 9 June 2026 · politics

Releasing a 75-page document titled ‘Prachaar versus hisaab’ (propaganda versus account/tally) to mark the second year of the third term of the Narendra Modi government

Releasing a 75-page document titled ‘Prachaar versus hisaab’ (propaganda versus account/tally) to mark the second year of the third term of the Narendra Modi government, the Congress on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) said the Centre’s claims on employment, economic growth, democracy, infrastructure, and education have not translated into tangible gains for citizens. In a post on social media platform X, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that 12 years of “anti-poor economic policies and a compromised foreign policy” had pushed the country into a situation where millions of poor families and women had been forced towards the “poisonous smoke of firewood stoves”. “The number of subsidized cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme has been reduced from 9 to 4. On top of that, the price of domestic LPG cylinders has been increased by ₹89 in the last 3 months - meaning, first hike the prices, then cut the subsidy, and snuff out the poor’s hearth,” Mr. Gandhi said.

“The lifeline of migrant workers, the 5 kg cylinder, has also been made ₹323 more expensive - what will they earn, what will they eat, and what will they save? Arranging debt waivers worth millions of crores for billionaire friends and passing the bill of your failures onto the poor - this is Modi’s loot model,” he added. The 75-page document, prepared by the All-India Congress Committee’s research department, was released by its chairman Rajeev Gowda along with his colleague Amitabh Dubey. The past 12 years had been characterised by “big announcements, grand statements, and headlines”, but little meaningful change in people’s lives, Mr. Gowda said. “Under Prime Minister Modi, the rupee is the worst performing currency,” Mr. Gowda said, adding, “Over the last 12 years, promises have been accompanied by big announcements, grand statements, and headlines. But the reality is that none of those headlines actually translate into anything that is meaningfully transforming the lives of the people.” “Four out of 10 graduates remain unemployed,” he said, claiming that the government had failed to generate adequate employment.

Urban youth unemployment stood at 18.4%, and only 7% of unemployed graduates had secured a permanent salaried job within a year, Mr. Gowda said. On women’s participation in the workforce, Mr. Gowda said India’s ranking in the Global Gender Gap Index had fallen from 108 to 131. “We are failing one half of our population by not creating opportunities for women to enter the workforce,” he said. Referring to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, he said nearly 40,000 enterprises had shut down in the previous financial year. “The damage caused by demonetisation continues, and the MSMEs sector continues to bear the brunt,” he said. Gowda also alleged that “6.5 crore voters have been deleted across the country”, adding, “We have a situation where our democracy is deeply flawed, and this is a real tragedy for every citizen of India.” Dubey criticised the government on inflation, claiming that the prices of LPG, petrol, diesel, milk, and pulses had risen sharply since 2014.