Bengaluru: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “gold and mangalsutra” remarks, saying her mother Sonia Gandhi sacrificed her ‘mangalsutra’ for the country.
“What talks are happening in this country? Two days back there were speeches that Congress wants to snatch your ‘mangalsutra’. This country has been free for the past 75 years, and 55 years Congress was in power. Did Congress ever snatch your gold or ‘mangalsutra’?,” she asked at an election rally here.
Priyanka was referring to Modi’s allegations that the Congress plans to give people’s hard-earned money and valuables to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children” — alluding to Muslims in his campaign speech in Rajasthan yesterday — and would steal the “gold of mothers and sisters” if voted to power.
In a sharp attack on Modi, Priyanka said: “When there was war, Indira Gandhi (her grandmother and former prime minister) donated her gold.”
She further said, “My mother’s ‘mangalsutra’ was sacrificed for this country,” referring to the assassination of her father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi by terrorists.
“Had Narendra Modi understood the importance of ‘mangalsutra’, he would not have spoken such unethical things,” she added.
Priyanka said women’s spirit of service is the foundation of all traditions of India.
“The women do not sleep until everyone is asleep in the family and when there is trouble in the family, women mortgage their ornaments,” she said. “Women will prefer sleeping hungry rather than letting others sleep on an empty stomach.”
“These people (BJP) do not know her struggle. When the farmer is in debt, his wife mortgages her mangalsutra. When there is a daughter’s marriage or health problems in the family, the woman mortgages her jewels,” she underlined.
Remarking that Modi does not understand the struggle of women, Priyanka asked where he was when women’s savings were taken away and they were asked to deposit it in the banks because of his action of imposing the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes in November 2016.
She asked where the prime minister was when migrant workers were stuck in many cities due to Covid-induced lockdowns without food, and women had to mortgage their jewels.
“During the farmers’ agitation, 600 farmers died. Did Modi give a thought on the ‘mangalsutra’ of those women? When a woman was paraded naked in Manipur before the entire nation, why was Modi silent and not think of her mangalsutra?” Priyanka asked.
“Today, only for the election you are talking about women like this, only to scare them to get their votes,” she said, directing her remarks at Modi. “He should be ashamed,” the Congress leader said.
Lamenting that “cheap talk” is going on in the country when the enormity of problems is immense, Priyanka asked people to decide what kind of politics they want.
“You have to decide whether you want ‘Naitik Rajniti’ (politics of ethics) or ‘Natak Rajniti’ (politics of drama); ‘Satta ki Rajniti’ (power politics) or ‘Satya Ki Rajniti’ (politics of truth); ‘Paropakar’ (beneficence) or ‘Ahamkar’ (ego),” the Congress general secretary said.
She said the time has come for people to think because “if you don’t wake up, this country will go to the ditch”.
