Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday conceded that her party had been “out-marketed” by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and that it needed to find new ways to connect with people.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave in Mumbai, Gandhi criticised the government on topics ranging from Aadhaar to communal tensions and mob vigilantism. She said freedom in the country is under assault and that “we are embracing a regressive vision”.

The Congress leader said Aadhaar was being turned into an “intrusive instrument of control” instead of an “instrument of empowerment”. “Our judiciary is in turmoil,” Gandhi said. “RTI [Right to Information Act] was brought to bring transparency, but today that law is in cold storage, and RTI activists are being killed.”

She added that fear and intimidation are now the order of the day. “...Alternate voices are being silenced, religious tensions are being fuelled, vigilante armies are being let loose with state patronage, and society is being polarised with a view to win elections.”

Gandhi claimed that the Narendra Modi-led government was using its majority in the Parliament to stifle the voice of the Opposition. “If we are not allowed to speak in Parliament, why not shut it down so we can all go home?” she said. “This BJP government doesn’t respect Parliament procedures.”