Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tore into the defence policy of the BJP government at the Congress Plenary Session on Sunday. Manmohan Singh said that the current defence expenditure is very low and constitutes only 1.6 per cent of the GDP which is not enough to meet the security needs of the country. &quot;When BJP talk of fighting the war on two fronts its defence expenditure is not capable to meet the needs of the country,&rdquo; said Dr Manmohan Singh.

He did not stop at the issue of defence requirement. Dr Singh also questioned the Jammu and Kashmir policy of the BJP. &quot;Modi government has mismanaged J&amp;K policy like never before. Atmosphere has deteriorated and government departments are working at cross purpose,&rdquo; said Dr Manmohan Singh.

He also accused the government of decoupling India from the world growth story. &quot;Modi made tall promises but did not fulfill them. The promise was of 2 crore jobs but not even 2 lakh jobs have been generated,&quot; he said. He emphasised that hasty implementation of GST destroyed many jobs and demonetisation created its own problems. He also said that real agricultural growth has stalled and accused the prime minister of not able to double farm growth rate as promised.

&quot;Perhaps this promise too was a jumla type of statement. You require 12 per cent growth rate to double farm income,&rdquo; he said. Stressing on agrarian sector, the former Prime Minister said growth rate by itself cannot be everything as social justice and inclusion too should be part of policy initiative.

The former prime Minister re-emphasised the contribution of the UPA government in context of passing bills ranging from Right to Education to Right to Forest Dwellers to improve the condition of people in the ancient land of farmers. He said growth rate throughout UPA&rsquo;s remained very satisfactory. He said in the end that NDA has failed to solve socio-economic problems of the country. 
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Manmohan Singh said that the current defence expenditure is very low and constitutes only 1.6% of the GDP which is not enough to meet the security needs of the country

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tore into the defence policy of the BJP government at the Congress Plenary Session on Sunday. Manmohan Singh said that the current defence expenditure is very low and constitutes only 1.6 per cent of the GDP which is not enough to meet the security needs of the country. "When BJP talk of fighting the war on two fronts its defence expenditure is not capable to meet the needs of the country,” said Dr Manmohan Singh. He did not stop at the issue of defence requirement. Dr Singh also questioned the Jammu and Kashmir policy of the BJP. "Modi government has mismanaged J&K policy like never before. Atmosphere has deteriorated and government departments are working at cross purpose,” said Dr Manmohan Singh. He also accused the government of decoupling India from the world growth story. "Modi made tall promises but did not fulfill them. The promise was of 2 crore jobs but not even 2 lakh jobs have been generated," he said. He emphasised that hasty implementation of GST destroyed many jobs and demonetisation created its own problems. He also said that real agricultural growth has stalled and accused the prime minister of not able to double farm growth rate as promised. "Perhaps this promise too was a jumla type of statement. You require 12 per cent growth rate to double farm income,” he said. Stressing on agrarian sector, the former Prime Minister said growth rate by itself cannot be everything as social justice and inclusion too should be part of policy initiative. The former prime Minister re-emphasised the contribution of the UPA government in context of passing bills ranging from Right to Education to Right to Forest Dwellers to improve the condition of people in the ancient land of farmers. He said growth rate throughout UPA’s remained very satisfactory. He said in the end that NDA has failed to solve socio-economic problems of the country.

Congress Plenary session: Manmohan Singh questions BJP on low defence expenditure, J&K policy

The Congress party came down heavily on the Modi government for breaking Nehruvian consensus in foreign policy. The resolution on international affairs stated that Nehru&rsquo;s legacy must be upheld and foreign policy must be backed by strong national consensus. The resolution accused the BJP government of conducting foreign policy in a cavalier manner and mismanaging India&rsquo;s relationship with major partner countries.

The resolution also noted, &quot;The Prime Minister&rsquo;s tendency to disparage its predecessors and diminish India&rsquo;s achievement since independence has undercut its own credibility abroad.&rdquo; The resolution noted that at the 50th anniversary of Bandung, official Indian speeches omitted all mention of Jawahar Lal Nehru whereas foreign leaders hailed his contribution in the Non Aligned Movement. The resolution also noted that it is unbecoming of the Prime Minister to abuse the platform of Overseas Indians for propaganda, to insult his predecessors.

The resolution covered most aspects of foreign affairs but a large part was dedicated to South Asia which too has been Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s concern. The foreign policy resolution stated that country&rsquo;s presence has diminished in its immediate periphery and India&rsquo;s engagement has become episodic. The resolution said that India&rsquo;s episodic engagement with its neighbours has allowed China to entrench itself.

The resolution urged that India must reset then clock by becoming the political, economic and cultural node of the region. The resolution also pointed out that India&#39;s Pakistan policy is being used for divisive domestic politics. &quot;It needs mention that under the Congress-led-UPA, the long standing India-Pakistan hyphenation in international perception was successfully removed. It is a matter of concern. That there is a danger of that hyphenation being revived as a result of renewed international focus on Indo Pakistan tensions. NDA&#39;s Pakistan policy has been a disaster,&quot; read the draft. On the Rohingiya issue, the resolution read that India must play a constructive role for the resolution of the refugee crisis and should not be indifferent and partisan on this issue.

The resolution remained circumspect on China but reiterated the old view that India must not dilute ties with Russia. Overall, The draft urged for closer relationship with all nations of SAARC which today lies as a defunct body.

The resolution accused the BJP government of conducting foreign policy in a cavalier manner and mismanaging India’s relationship with major partner countries

The Congress party came down heavily on the Modi government for breaking Nehruvian consensus in foreign policy. The resolution on international affairs stated that Nehru’s legacy must be upheld and foreign policy must be backed by strong national consensus. The resolution accused the BJP government of conducting foreign policy in a cavalier manner and mismanaging India’s relationship with major partner countries. The resolution also noted, "The Prime Minister’s tendency to disparage its predecessors and diminish India’s achievement since independence has undercut its own credibility abroad.” The resolution noted that at the 50th anniversary of Bandung, official Indian speeches omitted all mention of Jawahar Lal Nehru whereas foreign leaders hailed his contribution in the Non Aligned Movement. The resolution also noted that it is unbecoming of the Prime Minister to abuse the platform of Overseas Indians for propaganda, to insult his predecessors. The resolution covered most aspects of foreign affairs but a large part was dedicated to South Asia which too has been Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concern. The foreign policy resolution stated that country’s presence has diminished in its immediate periphery and India’s engagement has become episodic. The resolution said that India’s episodic engagement with its neighbours has allowed China to entrench itself. The resolution urged that India must reset then clock by becoming the political, economic and cultural node of the region. The resolution also pointed out that India's Pakistan policy is being used for divisive domestic politics. "It needs mention that under the Congress-led-UPA, the long standing India-Pakistan hyphenation in international perception was successfully removed. It is a matter of concern. That there is a danger of that hyphenation being revived as a result of renewed international focus on Indo Pakistan tensions. NDA's Pakistan policy has been a disaster," read the draft. On the Rohingiya issue, the resolution read that India must play a constructive role for the resolution of the refugee crisis and should not be indifferent and partisan on this issue. The resolution remained circumspect on China but reiterated the old view that India must not dilute ties with Russia. Overall, The draft urged for closer relationship with all nations of SAARC which today lies as a defunct body.

Congress protests breakdown of Nehruvian consensus in foreign policy

Congress President Rahul Gandhi in his first address to the&nbsp;party&#39;s plenary session on Saturday said that the&nbsp;Congress&nbsp;will&nbsp;work&nbsp;for all.

He said, &quot;The nation is tired and looking for a way out, only Congress can show the way ahead&quot;.

The major focus of his address today was&nbsp;targetting&nbsp;the Modi government. He said that the youth of the country does not see&nbsp;their future with PM Modi.&nbsp;

He said, &quot;This is the only symbol (Congress party symbol) that can unite the nation and take it forward&quot;.

Referring to the BJP led NDA government, the Congress president said&nbsp;that while &quot;Congress uses love, they use&nbsp;anger&quot;.

The&nbsp;open session started today in the presence of AICC and PCC delegates and workers.&nbsp;

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Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi &amp; Manmohan Singh at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>&#39;s Indira Gandhi Stadium for Congress&#39; plenary session. <a href="https://t.co/0QtEdWENym">pic.twitter.com/0QtEdWENym</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/974875390551429121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The session organised will focus on party workers than its leaders.The Congress workers will get a chance to speak in the session and&nbsp;will also be motivated to win public support for the 2019 elections.

The Congress party will unveil its political roadmap and vision for the next five years at the session.

The plenary&nbsp;session was organised at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi.&nbsp;

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Rahul Gandhi said, 'The nation is tired and looking for a way out, only Congress can show the way ahead'

Congress President Rahul Gandhi in his first address to the party's plenary session on Saturday said that the Congress will work for all. He said, "The nation is tired and looking for a way out, only Congress can show the way ahead". The major focus of his address today was targetting the Modi government. He said that the youth of the country does not see their future with PM Modi. He said, "This is the only symbol (Congress party symbol) that can unite the nation and take it forward". Referring to the BJP led NDA government, the Congress president said that while "Congress uses love, they use anger". The open session started today in the presence of AICC and PCC delegates and workers. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi & Manmohan Singh at #Delhi's Indira Gandhi Stadium for Congress' plenary session. pic.twitter.com/0QtEdWENym — ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2018 × The session organised will focus on party workers than its leaders.The Congress workers will get a chance to speak in the session and will also be motivated to win public support for the 2019 elections. The Congress party will unveil its political roadmap and vision for the next five years at the session. The plenary session was organised at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi.

Youth does not see future with PM Modi: Rahul Gandhi at Plenary session

Lambasting Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over poor policies, corruption and deteriorating law and order situation in the country, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday looked all charged up at the 84th Congress plenary session, being held here.

After finishing the speech, as Sonia was walking towards her seat, Congress president and her son Rahul Gandhi got up from his chair and gave her a warm hug.

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Delhi: Sonia Gandhi hugs Rahul Gandhi after after completing her speech at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CongressPlenarySession?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CongressPlenarySession</a> <a href="https://t.co/66NhMrsf4e">pic.twitter.com/66NhMrsf4e</a>
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The soft and loving moment was captured well by the cameras, as the attendees cheered on.

Earlier, Sonia said the ruling dispensation was undoing the work of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

&quot;The Modi government is not interested in addressing the needs of the poor. They are just ignoring and weakening the welfare programmes that we implemented it when we were in power,&quot; Sonia said during the session, which began yesterday.

&quot;In the last four years, this arrogant (Modi) government has left no stone unturned to destroy Congress. But Congress has never cowered down and it will never cower down,&quot; she asserted.

The former Congress president continued her tirade against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government claiming that her party was &quot;exposing fraud and corruption&quot; by the Modi government using proof.

Commenting on the rise of communal violence and lawlessness in the country under the BJP government, Sonia added, &quot;Wherever there is a non-Congress government, our friends are taking a stand against anarchy and violence in different places. They are continuing with their work and braving all of it. It is the Congress party which takes stand against injustice and raises its voice against it (violence).&quot;

Vowing to make India free from political vendetta and corruption, Sonia underscored that it was important for all to address the challenges and called for efforts to fulfill a &#39;corruption-free India&#39; under the leadership of her son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi respectively.

She also took a jibe at the BJP-led government&#39;s slogans of &#39;Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas&#39; and &#39;Na khaaoonga na khaane doona&#39;, saying that it was nothing but &quot;drama and tactic&quot; by the prime minister to garner votes.

Sonia went on to say that during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh&#39;s rule at the Centre for 10 years, India had achieved a very high economic growth.

Citing the example of late Indira Gandhi&#39;s stunning victory at Chikmagalur in Karnataka 40 years ago, the Congress veteran further said the party had to rediscover the &#39;magic&#39; of winning the next year&#39;s general elections, adding that the Congress party&#39;s victory would be equal to a victory for the country.

Sonia also praised Rahul for taking over as the Congress President at such a &#39;challenging time&#39; and underscored that under her son&#39;s leadership, the party would reach new heights.

The grand-old party at the plenary session will ratify Rahul&#39;s appointment as the Congress president and select members for the Congress Working Committee.&nbsp;

 
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After finishing the speech, as Sonia was walking towards her seat, Congress president and her son Rahul Gandhi got up from his chair and gave her a warm hug.

Lambasting Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over poor policies, corruption and deteriorating law and order situation in the country, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday looked all charged up at the 84th Congress plenary session, being held here. After finishing the speech, as Sonia was walking towards her seat, Congress president and her son Rahul Gandhi got up from his chair and gave her a warm hug. Delhi: Sonia Gandhi hugs Rahul Gandhi after after completing her speech at #CongressPlenarySession pic.twitter.com/66NhMrsf4e — ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2018 × The soft and loving moment was captured well by the cameras, as the attendees cheered on. Earlier, Sonia said the ruling dispensation was undoing the work of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government. "The Modi government is not interested in addressing the needs of the poor. They are just ignoring and weakening the welfare programmes that we implemented it when we were in power," Sonia said during the session, which began yesterday. "In the last four years, this arrogant (Modi) government has left no stone unturned to destroy Congress. But Congress has never cowered down and it will never cower down," she asserted. The former Congress president continued her tirade against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government claiming that her party was "exposing fraud and corruption" by the Modi government using proof. Commenting on the rise of communal violence and lawlessness in the country under the BJP government, Sonia added, "Wherever there is a non-Congress government, our friends are taking a stand against anarchy and violence in different places. They are continuing with their work and braving all of it. It is the Congress party which takes stand against injustice and raises its voice against it (violence)." Vowing to make India free from political vendetta and corruption, Sonia underscored that it was important for all to address the challenges and called for efforts to fulfill a 'corruption-free India' under the leadership of her son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi respectively. She also took a jibe at the BJP-led government's slogans of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' and 'Na khaaoonga na khaane doona', saying that it was nothing but "drama and tactic" by the prime minister to garner votes. Sonia went on to say that during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's rule at the Centre for 10 years, India had achieved a very high economic growth. Citing the example of late Indira Gandhi's stunning victory at Chikmagalur in Karnataka 40 years ago, the Congress veteran further said the party had to rediscover the 'magic' of winning the next year's general elections, adding that the Congress party's victory would be equal to a victory for the country. Sonia also praised Rahul for taking over as the Congress President at such a 'challenging time' and underscored that under her son's leadership, the party would reach new heights. The grand-old party at the plenary session will ratify Rahul's appointment as the Congress president and select members for the Congress Working Committee.

'Son-mom' moment captured at Congress plenary session