Cabinet becoming toothless wonder under Modi: Congress

New Delhi, May 29
The Congress on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making the union cabinet "a toothless wonder" and ministers only speak at its meetings if allowed to do so.

Launching an attack on Modi, Congress leader Ambika Soni also accused Modi of trying to overawe the judiciary and "denigrating parliament".

"The cabinet is becoming a toothless wonder. There was a whisper campaign against several ministers when Modi government came to power. The campaign was done as part of strategy to demoralise colleagues.

"Cabinet is not run in the way it was done during UPA government where each minister was responsible for papers. Today papers come. Only those allowed, will speak," Soni told media persons here.

She claimed that "parliamentary practices were being set aside and use of select committees and standing committees was being avoided".

"Ordinance raj is sought to be established," she said, adding that the Congress has been able to withstand the "onslaught" in Rajya Sabha as the government lacks a majority there.

She also slammed Modi for his comments earlier this year that judiciary should introspect whether "five-star activists" were driving it.

"Have such comments been ever made in the past," she asked.