Monday, May 6

“My Mother’s Mangalsutra…”: Priyanka Gandhi’s Full-On Attack On PM Modi

Edited by Dileep Kumar S
“My Mother’s Mangalsutra…”: Priyanka Gandhi’s Full-On Attack On PM Modi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of deliberately trying to divert the public attention from real issues by exploiting their religious sentiments, since he had nothing to show for his ten years for which he could ask for votes. In two public meetings at Chitradurga and Bengaluru, Ms Gandhi unleashed a full-on attack against PM Modi over his comments on Congress party.

“If you really worked so hard as you claim to have, then why are you not seeking votes in the name of work, rather than exploiting the sentiments of people and using caste, religion and public emotions”, Ms Gandhi told the Prime Minister and the BJP during a largely attended public rally in Karnataka’s Chitradurga on Tuesday.

Ms Gandhi said, actually the BJP had wasted ten precious years and had nothing to claim to its credit and that is why they are diverting the attention of the public from the real issues like backbreaking price rise and widespread unemployment and reverting to religious polarisation.

“For the last two days it is being said that Congress Party wants to snatch your ‘Mangalsutra’ and your gold from you. The country has been independent for 70 years and there has been a Congress government for 55 years. Did anyone snatch your gold, ‘Mangalsutra’? During the war, Indira Gandhi gave her gold to the country. My mother’s ‘mangalsutra’ was sacrificed for this country. The truth is that these (BJP) people cannot understand the struggle of women…,” she said.


“600 farmers died during farmers protest, Modi ji thought about the mangalsutra of their wives? In Manipur, a woman was paraded naked, Modi ji thought about her mangalsutra? He didn’t even blink an eye. Today for elections, for votes, he’s scaring women for votes. He should feel ashamed,” she said in Bengaluru.

The Congress general secretary cautioned people not to get carried away by the big talks beamed on television sets that Modi has become a big international leader and so big that if he wishes he can get any war finished within a fraction of a second.

“When you go to cast your vote”, she told people, “think for yourself as what difference has it made in your lives. Think of the backbreaking price rise, think of the unemployment and then vote”.

She alleged that the Prime Minister and his government were working for a select few billionaire friends of the PM who had amassed so much wealth that they are being counted among the richest persons in the world.

Ms Gandhi also warned against the intentions of the BJP to change the constitution, which had provided so many rights and privileges to people. She said, if the constitution is changed, it will have an adverse impact on everybody’s lives. She said it was important to save the constitution and democracy in the country as it was in everybody’s interest.

Blasting the claims of honesty and integrity of the Prime Minister, she pointed out how the electoral bond scheme was introduced and how money was laundered. She asked how it was possible that a company which did not earn even Rs 150 crores, made donations worth Rs 1,100 crores to the BJP.

She pointed out how when demonetisation was done, people were made to stand up in long queues and told that they were doing it for the country, as it will bring out all black money while the actual black money was generated through electoral bonds.

The Congress leader said, whenever the opposition raises the issues, the leaders are harassed and intimidated. She said the Congress party’s bank accounts were frozen while two Chief Ministers were jailed, besides cases slapped on several other opposition leaders.

She said, while the farmers were refused any debt relief, a few billionaires were given a debt relief worth Rs 16 lakh crores. She promised that the Congress government will not only waive off the debt of famers but also provide legal guarantee for the MSP. Besides, she said, a permanent Debt Waiver Commission will also be set up.

To address the issue of unemployment, as it was highest during the last 45 years, the Congress will launch “pehli naukri pakki” scheme, under which fresh graduates and diploma holders will get guaranteed one year apprenticeship during which they will get Rs one lakhs.

Besides, she announced that the eldest woman in every poor family will get Rs one lakh every year, social security for gig workers with health insurance cover, increasing the minimum daily wages to Rs 400 and bringing in law to guarantee urban employment on the pattern of MGNREGA.