Congress MPs on Tuesday, 8 February, staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech attacking the party in order to mark their protest.
Later the same day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the prime minister of not answering his questions on the China-Pakistan issue, and said that the BJP was afraid of the Congress, reported ANI.
Gandhi said,
"I brought up three issues. Firstly, India is being split into two – for the selected rich and crores of poor. Secondly, all institutions are being captured which puts India at risk. Thirdly, China and Pakistan are unified now and will prove to be dangerous to India. PM Modi didn't answer any of my questions."
He added, "Regarding COVID, I said that it is life-threatening. He didn't listen. Regarding China also I said that this is a serious matter. This is not a joke. It must be taken seriously. Again, he didn't say anything."
"My great-grandfather served this country. He gave his entire life to this country. I don't need a certificate from him.....he did what he had to do, as did other members of my family, as did millions of people in this country. I don't care what anybody says about him," he said.
The Congress leader also said that the BJP was scared of his party because "Congress speaks the truth". He said, "They (BJP) have a business of marketing along with powerful friends and relations, so they're spreading lies. They are scared. We saw that in Parliament."
Gandhi added,
"The entire speech (of PM Modi) was focused on what the Congress did and didn't do, Nehru; but what the BJP did...he didn't comment on that. They are scared."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday had replied to the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in the Rajya Sabha, launching a volley of barbs on the Congress.
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, "We've walked out of the PM Speech on Motion of Thanks because instead of speaking on President's Address he accused Congress."
"He just targeted Congress. House has members of all parties & they speak on all schemes. Instead of speaking on those, he made remarks on Congress. He remembered Gandhi ji. Those who worship Gandhi ji's assassin are telling us that Congress should be dissolved," Kharge was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot argued that the prime minister should've presented facts and should have spoken about the developmental projects undertaken by his government. "His comments on Nehru Ji were indignified. I don't think the public accepts his version of COVID-19," he added.
"Had the Congress party not been there, this would still be under the Government of India, 1919, under the Council of the Princes, and instead of us, there would have been bejewelled rulers in shining armours and flowing turbans sitting and speaking in praise of Queen Elizabeth II who was sitting on the throne. Thanks to the Congress, we have a Rajya Sabha and I am able to speak to you," veteran Congress leader Chidambaram said in retaliation to the PM's remarks, ANI reported.
What Did PM Modi Say in the Parliament?
"This democracy is not due to your generosity. Those who strangulated democracy in 1975 should not speak on it," Modi said during his scathing verbal attack on the Congress in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
"If Congress was not there, the country would not have suffered Emergency, massacre of Sikhs, casteism, and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits," he added.
The prime minister went on to say that India was the mother of democracy and the Congress' problem was that they never thought of anything apart from dynasty.
PM Modi on Monday had delivered similar derogatory comments against the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
“During the first wave of COVID-19, you (Congress) gave free train tickets to migrant workers to leave Mumbai. At the same time, the Delhi government told migrant workers to leave the city and provided them buses. As a result, COVID spread rapidly in Punjab, UP, and Uttarakhand," he had said.
His remarks were met with vehement condemnation from various political leaders, including Congress' Priyanka Gandhi, AAP President Arvind Kejriwal, and Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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