Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday, countered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “mangalsutra” remark, in which he claimed that if elected, Congress will rob people of their wealth and redistribute it to give to infiltrators. Speaking in Bengaluru, Priyanka Gandhi countered this claim and questioned if such a thing had happened during the 50-year rule of the INC.
“For the last two days, it is being said that Congress wants to snatch your ‘mangalsutra’ and gold. The country has been independent for over 70 years and there has been a Congress government for 55 years. Did anyone snatch your gold and ‘mangalsutra’?” stated Gandhi.
While countering the Prime Minister’s claim, Gandhi also recalled the sacrifice of her mother – Sonia Gandhi and grandmother – Indira Gandhi.
“He says the Congress wants to take away your gold, your mangalsutra. The country has been independent for 70 years. The Congress ruled for 55 years. Has anyone robbed you of your gold or your mangalsutra? When the war was on, Indira Gandhi gave her gold to the country. My mother's mangalsutra was sacrificed for this country," stated the Congress general-secretary, referring to her father - Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991.
“The truth is that these (BJP) people cannot understand the struggle of women. If Modi ji had understood the importance of 'Mangalsutra', he would not have said such things. When demonetisation happened, he took away the savings of women. During the farmers' protest, 600 farmers lost their lives, Did Modi-ji think about the 'Mangalsutra' of those widows?” she added further.
Priyanka Gandhi’s counter to Narendra Modi comes after the prime minister’s comment alleging that the Congress is planning to redistribute the wealth of the common people to “infiltrators” and those with “more children”. PM Modi’s comment on the minority have sparked a huge controversy, which reached the Election Commission as well. The top election body however, did not comment on the issue.
At several rallies in Rajasthan, PM Modi stated the Congress’ manifesto states that "everyone's property will be surveyed, it will calculate gold belonging to mothers and sisters and then redistribute it".
On Tuesday, the PM remained unaffected by the backlash and stated that since he has “revealed some truths” about the party, Congress and its INDIA alliance are now in “panic mode”. He also added that listening to the Hanuman Chalisa and celebrating Ram Navami has become a crime under Congress rule.
