NEW DELHI: India’s Constitution is not the rule of the Sangh, Wayand MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said in her maiden speech in the Lok Sabha on Friday, mounting a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, and declared that the country has never remained in the “hands of cowards” for a long time.
She said the BJP has learnt the hard way in the 2024 Lok Sabha election that the Constitution can’t be changed and reiterated her party’s allegations of collusion between the government and the Adani Group, saying “India believes that the Union government only works for Adani”.
Priyanka, 52, the newest MP from the Gandhi family, also put up a strong defence of the family and responded to defence minister Rajnath Singh’s taunt at her brother, Rahul Gandhi’s yatra. Crores of people had joined Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Mohabbat ka Dukan’, she said, and hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of not engaging with the people.
“We have all read the story about the king who would change his attire to interact with people to get their feedback on his administration. Today’s king loves to change clothes but doesn’t have the courage to listen to people. I have been in this House for 15 days. So many big issues are here, but the PM was seen only for 10 minutes. The PM doesn’t even sweat over Sambhal and Manipur.”
As the first Opposition member to speak on the debate to mark 75th year of the adoption of the Constitution, Priyanka hailed the Constitution as the armour of justice, aspirations, expression and hope for the common people and said it provides courage to our people.
While defence minister Rajnath Singh, who initiated the debate in the Lok Sabha, recalled how the Congress misused the Constitution in the past, Priyanka focused on the communal violence in Sambhal, the rape of a woman in Unnao, the lynching of a worker in Agra and the ethnic violence in Manipur to allege that the Union government was trying to take away the safety of the Constitution.
“This is not just a document. Our Constitution gives us justice, aspiration, expression and hope. This light of the Constitution has empowered every person to fight for justice. This Constitution has given power to people to make or break a government,” she said.
“In Unnao, a rape victim was fighting daily for justice. She was killed, Her father was beaten up, and their crops were gutted. Her father told me he wants justice. This power to fight, this courage has been given by the Constitution. In Agra, Arun Valmiki was beaten to death by police over theft charges. His young widow said ‘We want nyay’ (justice). This courage to fight for justice is a result of the Constitution,” she said.
“I met two young boys from Sambhal, Adnan and Uzair. Their father was a tailor who was killed in the police action. The boys told me they wanted to fulfil their father’s wish. This hope, this dream has been given by the Constitution. Our Constitution is a shield for justice, unity and freedom of expression but in the last ten years, the ruling side has tried to break this shield,” she said.
Priyanka also defended her family’s legacy, saying the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could try to erase Jawaharlal Nehru’s name from books and speeches. “But his contribution can never be erased,” she said, listing the public sector undertakings and public institutes for education established by Nehru, the country’s first prime minister.
Taking on Rajnath Singh for his criticism of Nehru, Priyanka said, “The treasury bench spoke a lot about the past. What all Nehru did? Why don’t you talk about the present day and what is your responsibility? Is Nehru responsible for everything?”
She highlighted Indira Gandhi’s bank nationalisation, and the UPA-era right to food and education and asked the BJP to learn from her and apologise for its mistakes.
“Earlier, people expected government to talk about inflation, jobs, economic policy will be made for them. If land laws are changed, it will benefit farmers and poor. Why don’t you implement the women’s reservation bill now? Today’s women should not wait for ten years for the law to come.”
She also reiterated the Congress’ allegations of collusion between the Adani group and the government, demanded a caste census and alleged that false cases were filed against Opposition leaders.
“Instead of giving relief to people. agricultural laws are planned for big industrialists. From Wayand to Lalitpur, farmers are crying. Cold storage facilities in Himachal Pradesh have been given to Adani by the Centre. The country is watching how the government is trying to save one person, all businesses, mines, airports, ports are being given away to one company. The country believes that this government only works for Adani,” she said.
“You talk about political justice, but use money to overthrow elected governments. You spoke about UP. But what about Maharashtra and Goa? Those governments were also elected by the people. The country knows they (BJP) have a washing machine. You laughed at ‘Mohabbat ki dukan’ but crores of people walked with the idea,” she said.