Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said if its leaders are truly patriotic, they would respect country’s martyrs, including former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, irrespective of their caste, religion or political background.
“If BJP leaders, who talk big about patriotism, are true patriots, they would respect martyrs of the country — whether that martyr is Hindu or Muslim or the father of their political opponent. He is a martyr. You can’t be selective in which martyr you respect. If you are true patriots, respect all martyrs including Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi,” said Gandhi at a street corner meeting in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur.
Stepping up her attack, she added, “If they are truly patriotic, they would not have turned away and shut their doors on farmers when they came to Delhi to tell the government the problems they were facing… If they are truly patriotic, they would have delivered on the promise of creating jobs that they made to you.”
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The 47-year-old leader also told the gathering that she was there to remind them of what true patriotism was all about.
“Every election, the BJP brings up the issue of patriotism and there is no talk on issues like development. I am here to remind you what true patriotism is all about,” she said.
Further criticising PM Modi on patriotism, she also claimed that people told her, during her visit to Varanasi, that Modi did not visit a single village in the constituency after becoming the Prime Minister.
“This is his patriotism that he can visit Africa, US, China, Japan, Pakistan…have biryani and come back. But he can’t come to his constituency to ask the well-being of even a single family,” Gandhi said.
Fatehpur will go to poll in the fifth phase on May 6. Results for all the parliamentary seats will be announced on May 23.