Congress general secretary and east UP in-charge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his agenda of nationalism, saying that solving of farmers, youths and other deprived sections of society was true nationalism.
Addressing a gathering in Rae Bareli from where her mother Sonia Gandhi is in the poll fray, Priyanka advised Modi to protect the fields of farmer, saying, “You are protecting people from Pakistan’s aggression. This is a big achievement. Everyone is happy. But you should also protect the fields of farmers as that too is nationalism.”
“Loving people also means respecting them. If they are saying something, you (Prime Minister) should listen to them as they are the voice of democracy. What kind of nationalism is this that you ignore farmers, youth and women?” the Congress leader asked.
“When one demonstrates for his rights, his voice is suppressed. Why is this done? Because the government is afraid of the common man. The BJP knows that it has not honoured any of its promises made ahead of 2014 polls. They had a majority government but did nothing in the interest of people,” the Congress general secretary said.
“A person who calls himself a chowkidar of the country has forced all farmers to become chowkidar of their own land due to the menace of stray animals,” she quipped.
Accompanied by her son Rehan in the campaign, Priyanka said that the Prime Minister was lying every day even as farmers and common people were facing problems. She also said that the people of Rae Bareli and Amethi were very cautious about their leader and vote and would not support any person who would ditch them.
“Congress has always worked for the nation without any vested interest and even the people of Rae Bareli and Amethi are witness to the commitment of the party. But the BJP is trying to rake up nationalism to insult the people. How can a person who is not supporting the BJP be anti-national?” she questioned.
Claiming that the government only focused on its own publicity, Priyanka said, “Wherever you go, you see his (Modi’s) face. Half of his speech targets the opposition. Everyone is a nationalist. What does nationalism mean? It means you should hear the voice of the people.”
Priyanka said her mother Sonia Gandhi had always cared for the people of Rae Bareli and did whatever was required to be done in the constituency.
“Rae Bareli and Amethi are our family and we treat the people of these constituency as our family members,” she said.
Commenting on the notice issued to her by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on a video in which children were shouting slogans against the Prime Minister, Priyanka said, “I asked the children to stop chanting wrong slogans. I will respond to the notice as I am not guilty in the matter. The video was conveniently edited where I am asking the children not to raise such slogans.”
On trying her hand in charming snakes on Thursday, Priyanka said that she was not afraid of snakes since her childhood and even her daughter played with snakes.