Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday (April 28) slammed the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of nationalism.
The Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh was speaking to reporters in Amethi constituency, which is represented by party president and her brother Rahul Gandhi.
“What type of nationalism is there in main hoon Modi (I am Modi)? What is the meaning of nationalism? Priyanka asked. “It means patriotism and love for the country. Who is the country? Its people and their love. If you have affinity only towards yourself, then what type of nationalism is this?”
“Arranging a crowd using the power of money and addressing them or sending a message to them is very easy,” Priyanka said. But, the real thing is to resolve the problems of the people, she added. “The ground reality is absolutely different. When you speak to the people, a different message emanates and I have never seen the prime minister or the BJP leaders accepting that message,” the Congress leader said.
Priyanka accused Modi of not visiting even a single village in his Varanasi constituency and not asking anyone about their problems. Taking a jibe at the policies of the BJP, she termed it as “anti-people”, “anti-youth” and “anti-farmers”. “The menace of stray animals is very much here and the farmers are forced to keep a watch on their crops during night. There are still some places where electricity supply is absent,” Priyanka added.
Hitting out at Modi for his remarks that he comes from a very backward class, Gandhi said she neither has any knowledge about his caste nor her party has ever raised it.
“I am still not aware of the caste that Modi belongs to. And the opposition and the Congress have never raised the question of his caste,” IANS reported her as speaking to media at Bahraich village in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday (April 28).
Priyanka’s comments came a day after Modi blamed BSP chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav of playing caste politics by talking about his caste, at a public rally in Uttar Pradesh.