During the Lok Sabha discussion on the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’ on Monday, Indian National Congress MP from Wayanad and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, asserting that the Congress would persist in its fight against the ideology of the ruling party.
Addressing the treasury benches, she declared, “You (BJP) are for the elections, we are for the country. No matter how many elections we lose, we will sit here and keep fighting you and your ideology. We will keep fighting for our country. You cannot stop us…”
Priyanka said that the government’s choice to hold such a debate was driven by two primary political objectives, first, that the West Bengal elections were nearing, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to position himself prominently in the narrative there; and second, that the ruling party wanted a platform to target those who played crucial roles in India’s freedom struggle, accusing and discrediting them once again.
She argued that the real intention behind this debate was to shift focus away from urgent and everyday concerns of citizens. “By doing this,” she said, “the government wants to divert attention from the essential issues concerning the public.”
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister’s speech that initiated the discussion, she remarked that while he speaks well, he “becomes weak when it comes to facts.” She added, “There is an art to presenting facts before the public. I am new. I am a people’s representative and not an actor…”
Priyanka Gandhi strongly condemned the continuous attacks on former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, stating that the government was again using the occasion to malign freedom fighters who sacrificed everything for the nation. “Since you keep talking about Nehru, let’s do one thing,” she suggested. “Let’s assign time for a discussion, list out all the insults against him, debate it and close the chapter once and for all. Then, let us address today’s issues, price rise and unemployment.”
She also countered Modi’s repeated criticism of Nehru by highlighting, “Modiji has been PM for about 12 years and Nehru ji was in jail for around the same period.”
Challenging the very premise of the debate, she questioned what responsibility the House held toward the people, and why a national song that unites the country should be turned into a source of controversy. She reiterated that the only reason for this debate was the BJP’s political ambitions in Bengal at a time when the government feared addressing current realities or taking responsibility for the future.
Her criticism of Modi was direct and unfiltered: “Prime Minister Modi is not the PM he used to be; it is showing that his self-confidence is decreasing and his policies are weakening the country. My friends in the government are silent because deep inside they also know this.” She concluded by alleging that the Prime Minister’s diminishing self-assurance and failing governance were now clearly visible.
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