Priyanka Gandhi takes aim at Narendra Modi: ‘PM hiding behind his power… people will respond to the arrogant ruler’

Priyanka said her brother Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP on Friday, had only asked the prime minister a few questions. “You couldn’t answer. You got scared. Aur jo ahankaari hote hain, taanashah hote hain kya karte hai (Those who are arrogant and autocrats, what do they do)? When they are unable to answer questions, they try to subjugate the people using their might. They try to crush those who raise questions. Have you ever thought about it? Open your eyes, this entire government, the ministers, MPs … why are they trying to save one man? What is in this Adani that you are giving the entire country’s wealth to him? That you get rattled when his name is taken … and the scurry to save him.”

Referring to the BJP’s accusation that the Gandhis promote dynastic politics, Priyanka said, “Then who was Lord Ram? He was sent into exile. Unhone apne parivaar, apni dharti ke prati apna dharm nibhaya (He performed his duty towards his family, his land). Was he promoting dynastic rule? Were the Pandavas promoting dynastic rule? They fought for the values of their family. Should we be ashamed that members of our family members laid down their lives for this country? They shed blood for this flag. Iss dharti mein unka khoon hai, is desh ke loktantra ko mere parivaar ke khoon ne seecha hai (Their blood is in this land, this country’s democracy was nurtured by their sacrifices) … Those who think we can be intimidated and scared by insulting us, letting loose agencies on us, they have misunderstood. We are not going to be scared, we will fight more strongly.”

Pointing out that Rahul is an alumnus of Harvard and Cambridge universities, the Congress leader said, “And you make him ‘pappu’. With the help of my media friends, you have not seen his degree, you don’t know the truth but you made him a ‘pappu’. Then you came to know that this ‘pappu’ has embarked on a yatra and it became known that he is not a pappu … lakhs of people are walking with him, he is honest, he understands things, he is going to the people, listening to their problems … and people are walking with him … they got scared.”

Priyanka began her speech by recalling the last journey of her father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991. She said minutes after the gun carriage carrying Rajiv’s mortal remains left the Teen Murti Bhavan, Rahul insisted on alighting from the vehicle. “My mother told him not to … security was also a concern then. But he insisted … I told my mother to let him get down.”

“Rahul got down from the vehicle and started walking behind the Army truck. From Teen Murti to here … he walked behind his father’s dead body in the scorching sun and reached here …  and he lit the funeral pyre. That picture is still fresh in my mind — my father’s body was wrapped in the national flag. That martyred father is insulted in Parliament, the son of that martyr is called an anti-national … you call him Mir Jafar, his mother is insulted, your ministers insult my mother in Parliament, one of your Chief Ministers say Rahul Gandhi doesn’t know his father is.”

Priyanka went on to say, “Your Prime Minister asks in Parliament why this family does not keep the surname of Nehru, the entire family is insulted, the customs of the Kashmiri Pandit community is insulted. Following the custom of Kashmiri Pandits, a son wears ‘pagdi’ after his father’s death, taking forward his family’s tradition. But there is no case against you, you don’t get a sentence of two years, you are not thrown out of Parliament, you are not stopped from contesting elections for many years.”

The Congress leader said her family had been silent despite repeated insults. “What did my brother do? He walked up to Modi in Parliament and hugged him. He said I don’t hate you … I don’t have any hatred for you, our ideologies are different but our ideology is not of hatred … Ek aadmi ka kitna apman karoge (how much will you insult one man)? Is this our country’s tradition?”

Priyanka said the icons of the Congress laid the foundation of Indian democracy. “The Congress fought for India’s freedom and today also we are fighting for the country’s freedom.”

The Congress leader said she was unable to fathom what was in the minds of people and why they were not protesting. “Are they not able to see what is happening? Are you not able to see that your entire wealth is being looted? It is being given to one person, it is being given to a handful of industrialists. Whose wealth is this? Is this Rahul Gandhi’s wealth? This is your wealth … the PSUs built for you are being sold to them, given to them one after the other. Your employment comes from these PSUs, small businesses, and small traders … No big Adani can give you jobs, they will only snatch away your jobs. Then why are you not able to understand .you are paying Rs 1000 for a gas cylinder and here all your wealth is being given away?”

Vadra said Rahul was only trying to raise the voice of the people and fighting for their rights. while the BJP was trying to divert attention from pressing issues and spreading misinformation. “The person who had filed the complaint against Rahul Gandhi in Surat had approached the Court seeking a stay … He got a stay on his own case for a year … One week after Rahul Gandhi’s speech on Adani in Parliament, he approached the court to reopen the case. Within a month the judge gives a two-year sentence to Rahul. How many people are languishing in jails without a hearing? In this case, hearing, judgment, sentencing, everything was so fast. And the next day, you said he can’t contest for eight years … he will be thrown out of Parliament.”

Thanking all the political parties that extended support to her brother, Priyanka said, “We all have to unite now because the country is in danger. The country’s wealth is being given to one person and the entire government stands up to save that one person …”

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the BJP over its accusation that Rahul insulted the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) with his remark for which he has been convicted and asked why the ruling party is “pained” if fugitives such as Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi are criticised.

“They talk of OBC now, is Lalit Modi OBC, is Nirav Modi OBC, is Mehul Choksi OBC? They ran away with people’s money. If they are fugitives why are you pained if they are criticised? You (BJP) punish the person who works to save the country and send those abroad who loot the country,” Kharge said.