Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, during her campaign for the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, criticized the ruling BJP and urged voters to remember the tradition of “victory of truth and defeat of untruth” from the Ramayana.
She addressed an election rally in the Chitrakoot assembly constituency in Satna district, where she talked about the importance of not letting leaders manipulate voters with religious appeals.
She invoked the mythological belief that Chitrakoot was the place of Lord Rama’s penance, highlighting that even in Lord Ram’s time, there was a tradition of truth prevailing over falsehood. Priyanka Gandhi urged voters to maintain this tradition and not blindly revere leaders who seek votes in the name of religion.
“On TV, you watch that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have done a lot of work for the progress of the country and the state, but is this progress reflected on the ground?,” said Priyanka Gandhi.
“When you see that you are plagued by problems and there is no hearing, reduce your respect for leaders who lure you and ask you for votes in the name of religion,” she said.
Drawing on Mahatma Gandhi’s principles rooted in the Ramayana, she said, “Mahatma Gandhi, who lived his entire life on the principles of Ramayana, had taught those principles to the Congress and when he was shot, he uttered ‘Hey Ram’ before his death.”
Priyanka Gandhi also criticized the ruling BJP for the disinvestment of state-run companies, regardless of their self-proclaimed titles. She accused them of corrupt practices, alleging that they had handed over the country’s wealth to a select few.
Furthermore, she accused the BJP of avoiding a caste census, suggesting that they were not interested in the welfare of the people. “
They feel that they will make big announcements at the time of elections and get votes on the basis of raising the emotions of the people through talks of religion and caste,” she said.
She highlighted the farmers’ protests against the now-scrapped farm laws, which were taking place close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, yet the Prime Minister did not engage with the protesters.
Priyanka Gandhi recalled that even her father, Rajiv Gandhi, and grandmother, Indira Gandhi, faced public scrutiny and demands for answers during their terms as Prime Ministers.
“My grandmother Indira Gandhi was also the prime minister and she too used to bow her head in front of the public and people used to demand answers from her,” she said.
The Congress leader said, “… Then people did not make any leader god and today the situation is that you have made leaders gods and you do not ask them for answers to your problems.”
She concluded by taking a dig at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is popularly known as ‘Mama,’ saying, “Relationships need to be maintained. Otherwise, Kansa (maternal uncle of Lord Krishna) was also mama.”
The Congress general secretary said, “Relationships need to be maintained. Otherwise, Kansa (maternal uncle of Lord Krishna) was also mama.”
