In a sharp attack on the Gandhis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech in the Rajya Sabha questioned why none of the family members used the “Nehru” surname, after Jawaharlal Nehru.
Jawaharlal Nehru is India’s first Prime Minister and the great-grandfather of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has accused PM Modi of using his links to help billionaire businessman Gautam Adani, questioning the industrialist’s meteoric rise in fortunes since 2014.
“If we miss out on mentioning Nehru anywhere, they (Congress) get upset. Nehru was such a great person, then why does none of them use the Nehru surname. What is the shame in using the Nehru name,” PM Modi said, while replying to the Motion of Thanks on President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha.
“This country is not the property of any family,” he added, amid loud sloganeering and unrelenting demand by Opposition parties over the Adani-Hindenburg Research row.
He also attacked Congress and claimed that the then Congress government at the Centre had dismissed 90 state governments by “misusing” Article 356 of the Constitution. He also said that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi “misused” it 50 times to dismiss elected state governments.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, PM Modi said that the country is with the saffron party. “The country is with us and people have rejected the Congress party and punished them from time to time. Had the Congress worked with good intentions for tribals, I would not have to work so hard in the third decade of 21st century,” he said.
He also alleged the Opposition of using “half-truths” to “create new narratives and spread falshood”, and further accused them of not being “bothered” about the country, but only about their politics”.
“The Opposition is against science and technology as they are not bothered about the country, but only about their politics. Today, more than 350 private companies have come into the defence sector. Our country is doing exports worth almost Rs 1 lakh crore in this sector. From retail to tourism, every sector has grown,” he said.