Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday took a swipe at the ruling party in the Lok Sabha, saying it was ironic that leaders who frequently criticise India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were now quoting him in support of their arguments.
Speaking during a debate on a resolution seeking the removal of Om Birla as Speaker, Priyanka Gandhi said she found it amusing that those who regularly attack Nehru had suddenly begun praising him for strengthening India’s democracy. “I was laughing today because the person whom they criticise every day Nehru ji they are quoting the same person today.
Suddenly, they have started respecting Nehru ji. Today they said that the person who made democracy the strongest was Nehru ji,” she told the House, drawing loud support from the Opposition benches. Her remarks came amid a heated political exchange during the discussion on the motion against Speaker Birla.
Priyanka used the moment to highlight what she described as a contradiction in the ruling party’s stance towards Nehru’s legacy. She also strongly defended Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, claiming that he had remained steadfast despite repeated attacks from the government.
“There is only one person in this country who has not bent before them in the last 12 years that is the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi. Because he stands here and speaks the truth without hesitation, and that truth is something they cannot digest,” she said.
Earlier in the debate, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that all members of Parliament whether from the ruling side or the Opposition must operate within the framework of rules and the Constitution. “When any individual considers himself above everything else, it is important that he be called out,” Rijiju said, in what was widely seen as a pointed remark aimed at Rahul Gandhi.