NEW DELHI: India's modern, progressive and secular image is being dented by incidents of violence and the BJP is adding fuel to the fire, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on Saturday during the Congress Working Committee meeting in Hyderabad.The Congress also strongly condemned the Centre's attempts to stifle opposition in Parliament and curtail public scrutiny in the House.The criticism comes ahead of the special session of Parliament scheduled from September 18-22.

The opposition has raised a red flag over the "secrecy" of the session's agenda.Top Congress leaders held deliberations on Saturday at the first meeting of the new CWC focusing on preparing a comprehensive road map for ensuring the party's victory in the upcoming assembly polls in five states and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

By holding the crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in the Telangana capital, the party is also looking to send out a message that it will go all-out to dislodge the BRS government in the poll-bound state.Kharge also demanded an immediate start of the Census process along with caste survey, and said the BJP government was "perturbed by the success of INDIA bloc meets", which is why the BJP is "resorting to vindictive action against opposition parties".He also added that the PM Narendra Modi-led Centre has failed completely in controlling inflation, unemployment, Manipur strife and widening inequality.Besides Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, among others, were present at the meeting.The CWC meeting began around 3 pm, soon after the unfurling of the party flag at the Taj Krishna hotel venue.Before the start of the CWC meeting, the first in many years held outside Delhi, Congress chief Kharge said his party has fought for and ushered in democracy, social justice, progress and equality in the country and will continue to fight to preserve national integrity and unity in diversity."In consonance with our long cherished philosophy, the Congress Working Committee will craft a comprehensive road map to lead the party towards victory and strengthen the future of our nation and her people," he said in his message.This was the first CWC meeting after Kharge took over as the party president in October last year."The Congress is dedicated to raising the concerns of the common people, and striving to provide them with a government that upholds their rights and aspirations," Rahul Gandhi said in a Facebook post before the meeting.(With inputs from agencies)