NEW DELHI: Congress leader
Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra has accused Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
of distorting lines from a speech by former PM
Jawaharlal Nehru
.
PM Modi
had quoted Nehru’s Independence Day speech, suggesting that Nehru believed Indians were lazy and lacked intelligence.
She called this act “shameful” and claimed it reflects the BJP’s bitterness towards the freedom movement and historical struggles for nation-building.
During a debate in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, PM Modi made multiple attacks on Nehru, alleging that he believed Indians were lazy and unintelligent. Priyanka Gandhi retaliated by questioning the truth behind these claims and urging people to listen to Nehru’s speech themselves.
Priyanka Gandhi shared an audio recording of Nehru’s speech, along with a translated Hindi quote. She said, “After independence, crores of our people faced the challenge of filling their stomach. The slavery, plunder and exploitation of the British had hollowed out the country. There were millions of deaths due to famine and starvation. The Prime Minister of such a country should tell his people that we have to stand on our own feet, work hard and compete with the developed countries. Is this a crime? If the Prime Minister of a newly independent country inspires its people to become self-reliant, is it an insult to the people?”
She further condemned the misrepresentation saying, “not only is it shameful to misrepresent a few lines from the speech of the country’s first Prime Minister, it also shows how much bitterness is in the minds of Prime Minister
Modi ji
, BJP and RSS towards our freedom movement and historical struggles for nation building.”
The Prime Minister’s remarks also included similar criticisms of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi about how they perceived Indians.
(Inputs from agencies)
