Priyanka Gandhi in her maiden speech in Parliament: ‘Country cannot run on fear’
Participating in a debate on the Constitution in Lok Sabha, Priyanka Gandhi said it is a protective shield of justice, unity and freedom of expression.
In her maiden speech in the Parliament, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that this country cannot run on fear and that it will rise, fight, and demand truth from the government.
Participating in a debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, Priyanka Gandhi said that the Constitution is a protective shield of justice, unity and freedom of expression but alleged that the government made every effort to break it during the past 10 years. Follow Parliament LIVE updates here.
"This government is working to weaken the reservation policy through lateral entry and privatisation. Had the Lok Sabha election results not come as they have, the government would have started the work on changing the Constitution," Priyanka Gandhi said.
The MP from Kerala's Wayanad also claimed that had it not been for the Lok Sabha election results, the Narendra Modi-led government “would have started work on changing the Constitution”.
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"The truth is that they are chanting 'Constitution' because they realised that the people of this country will keep the Constitution alive," Priyanka Gandhi told the Lower House.
'Caste census need of the hour': Priyanka Gandhi
She also criticised the government's stance on the caste census in the Lok Sabha, saying that it is the need of the hour.
“A caste census is the need of the hour, yet they trivialise it by discussing things like mangalsutras (a reference to PM Modi's speech in the Lok Sabha elections)," Priyanka Gandhi said.
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She further added: "Today, people of the country are demanding that there be a Caste Census. Colleague of the ruling side mentioned this, the mention is also being made only because of these results in the Lok Sabha elections. The Caste Census is essential so that we know the condition of everyone and policies can be made accordingly.”
The Wayanad MP also targeted the ruling government for invoking and criticising former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
"The ruling party talks about the past but why are they not speaking about the present? Is all the responsibility of the country on Nehru ji? Those who talk about Nehru, what are they doing themselves?" she asked.
She further added that Nehru's role in nation-building can never be erased.
"The one, whose name you (BJP) sometimes hesitate in speaking out, while speaking fluently at other times to use it to save yourself - he set up HAL, BHEL, SAIL, GAIL, ONGC, NTPC, Railways, IIT, IIM, Oil Refineries and several PSUs. His name can be erased from books, can be erased from speeches. But his role in the freedom of this nation, in building this nation can never be erased from this nation."
Priyanka Gandhi was fielded by the Congress for the Lok Sabha bypoll from Kerala's Wayanad, a seat vacated by her brother Rahul Gandhi who had won from there and Rae Bareli in the general elections 2024. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra won the Wayanad bypoll, her debut election, by a margin of over four lakh votes.
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