Amid consistent attacks on her family and party by the BJP, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said she, her family and party did not need any certificate from those who betrayed the nation and would not be browbeaten by them.
“We do not need any certificate from those who worked against the interests of the country during the freedom struggle and wrote to the British government to be freed from jails. We have fought the freedom struggle and are not afraid of them. We are not going to be browbeaten by them,” said Priyanka, while addressing Congress workers at a closed-door meeting here.
Though the Congress general secretary did not name any leader or party, her reference to the saffron brigade for arousing nationalist passions was obvious. “Those who are talking about corruption are corrupt themselves, those who are talking of their work have not worked and those who are talking of religion indulge in irreligious acts. They are using martyrs for political purposes,” she said
Priyanka, who is on her first visit to the family bastions after assuming office as Congress general secretary, held similar interactions with partymen in Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress president Rahul Gandhi till late Wednesday night.
She also held meetings with booth level workers of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency, Rae Bareli till late Thursday evening. Priyanka will leave for Ayodhya for a day-long visit on Friday.
She told workers that she may not be able to give much time to the two constituencies and asked them to gear up for the 2019 elections.
Without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Priyanka also referred to Modi’s ‘56 inch wide chest’ observations and how the Shiksha Mitras and others were beaten up by police while holding demonstrations to press for their demands. “Those who held demonstrations were not only beaten up by police but NSA was also invoked against them. They (BJP) have adopted a policy of beating the demonstrators and invoking NSA against them…. They have talked about 56 inch wide chest. But this shows their weakness. A strong government wants to hear the voice of the people. A democratic government wants the people to be aware of things.They (BJP) do not tolerate if anybody holds demonstration against them. In a democracy the government should be happy if any demonstrations are held,” said Priyanka.
Priyanka also targeted the Modi government for demonetization and failure to create the promised number of jobs. Demonetization made the youth jobless in urban areas. In rural areas, too, most of the MNREGA work was being done through contractors, she said.
