BENGALURU: AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on issues like price rise, rising unemployment and the education sector.
“Today’s elections are being run on emotions. BJP says if you vote Congress, mangalsutras and gold have to be pawned. But I want to remind him that Indira Gandhi sold gold to take care of jawans. My mother lost her mangalsutra (Rajiv assassination). If Modi understands the value of mangalsutra, he would not have spoken like that,” she said.
Turning the mangalsutra into a symbol of women’s strength, she said, “When farmers are in trouble, their womenfolk pawn jewels. When children are sick, and for school admissions, she sells her mangalsutra. Demonetisation and lockdown resulted in hardship. People struggled, many went hungry and walked, many even died.
Where was Modi then? During their agitation, 600 farmers died, women lost their mangalsutra. He did not speak. When Manipur women were paraded naked, where was Modi? He did not speak. Now he is scaring people... If he had respect for mangalsutra, he would give jobs to youths and empower people.”
Priyanka reminded voters about the state government’s guarantees and appealed to them to look at their ‘Nyaya Patr’ (manifesto). It promises Rs 1 lakh annually for the woman head of the family, apprenticeship of Rs 1 lakh for youths, a Rs 5,000-crore startup fund, education loan wavier and Rs 25 lakh health insurance, she said. “There is an attempt to weaken the Constitution.
For the first time, two chief ministers have been arrested, bank accounts of a national party have been seized and the opposition is harassed. The PM says everyone is corrupt and he is good. But the electoral bonds scheme is his idea, and after the Supreme Court’s intervention, the PM and BJP were exposed. They first raid, then get donations and convert black money to white...” she said.
Speaking about Bengaluru, she said the city is talented and the world knows it. “There is a water issue because of more population, so development should be balanced,” she said.
Disqualify Modi from poll process, says HK Patil
Hubballi: Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism Minister HK Patil on Tuesday said the Election Commission of India should disqualify Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the electoral process for his controversial remark against Muslims. Patil said Modi’s speech was highly objectionable and it brought disrepute to the top post.
“Even people contesting for municipal elections would not use such language. ECI should not be a silent spectator and act against Modi. Not taking any action by ECI would lead to denigrating the constitutional post, he said. “If the Election Commission fails to take action against the PM, Congress will explore the possibility of challenging its attitude.
Although we have no faith in the functioning of the commission, we believe it could act under pressure from intellectuals and other democratic countries, which have expressed displeasure over Modi’s remarks,” he added. The ECI spokesperson not responding to a query on Modi’s remarks itself showed that the PM has committed a blunder, he said.
Taking serious exception to Modi’s remark that Congress will snatch the ‘mangalsutra’ of women if it comes to power, he alleged that the Modi government is handing over jewels of the nation, like airports, transmission lines, ports, highways and other national assets to a few rich families. “Remember, Congress has given Tali Bhagya to the people,” he retorted.
Targeting the Modi government, he said it has weakened the federal structure of the country and it owes an apology to Karnataka for delaying the release of drought relief. It was a shame on the part of the Centre that the attorney general did not argue the case and said the Centre would release the relief as the central government has got the nod of the election commission, he added.