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My grandmother, father laid down lives for country: Priyanka
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday targeted those who questioned her family on the issue of terrorism
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday targeted those who questioned her family on the issue of terrorism saying her grandmother and father had laid down their lives for the country while those raising such issues were “selling public sector units (PSUs) and running a government friendly to select industrialists”.
“They are raising questions on my family. They say you have links with terrorists. Yes, I am linked to terrorists because my father (the late PM Rajiv Gandhi) was killed by terrorists. My grandmother (the late PM Indira Gandhi) was killed by terrorists. Both my father and grandmother laid their lives for the country… These people, who are selling the property (PSUs) of country and running their government for select industrialists, are now raising questions (on family),” said Priyanka while addressing a public meeting in Tamkuhi Raj area of Kushinagar district— about 350 km east off the state capital.
Although she did not name any party or leader, she was responding to the accusations allegedly made a union minister. A news channel reporter had recently asked Priyanka to react on the accusations made by the union minister questioning her family on the issue of terrorism.
As this was her first meeting in Tamkuhi Raj area from where Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Kumar Lallu is a Congress candidate, Priyanka also met family members of Lallu there. Her Kushinagar meeting also assumes significance as former Congress leader RPN Singh recently left joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “They (BJP) talk about the dynastic politics of the Congress. What dynastic politics? They have inducted sons of many leaders. They target my family because we will never bow down,” she said.
Priyanka lauded Lallu for fighting for the cause of people and party and said “Many big leaders ran away from the Congress succumbing to the pressure of the BJP. But Lallu has continued to fight strongly.” She also used the occasion to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “salt” and “loyalty” remarks recently and said when a leader began believing that the people were eating the salt given by his government and so would vote for his party, he would never work for the people.
Priyanka called upon the people for changing the way the politics was being done now in Uttar Pradesh and said UP was witnessing a new low. She said UP was known for sending such a large number of prime ministers. Uttar Pradesh has sent nine PMs, including Narendra Modi, to Lok Sabha. She said the BJP’s way of politics had made the people dependent on a bag of free ration. She said a bag of free ration might feed the people but would never help in empowering them. She said the BJP leaders were not seen anywhere when there was an agitation of farmers or the incidents of crime were taking place against the women.
“None of them was seen when injustice was being meted out to farmers, when crime was being committed against women in Unnao and Hathras or when Arun Valmiki (a Dalit sanitation worker) was beaten up and killed in police custody in Agra. Will they assure that the ration will be distributed and the cash transfer (Kisan Samman Nidhi) will continue after the polls? Will they assure the inflation will not go up further? Their only objective is to stay in power,” she alleged.
Later, Priyanka took a ride on a motorcycle to board her helicopter when she was stuck in a traffic in Tamkuhi Raj. She also held road shows in Ballia, Rudrapur and Deoria. In Ballia, Priyanka held a road show in Bansdih and Phephna assembly constituencies. During the event, she appealed to people to support Congress candidates. Several office bearers of the party accompanied her during the road show.
