Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said that it was her family (Nehru-Gandhi) who nurtured the democracy of this country with their blood as the party leaders and workers observed ‘Sankalp Satyagraha’ at Rajghat in the National Capital against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a member of the Lower House earlier on Friday, a day after his conviction by the Surat court in a defamation case for a remark using the ‘Modi surname’ at a rally in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In a sharp attack at the ruling party at the Centre, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: “Who thinks that they can silence us by scaring and humiliating us? Listen, we will not stop, I will see to it that the hard-earned money of the public is not being looted and given to few people.”

The Congress general secretary further said the grand old party does not have the ideology of hatred.

“My brother went to PM Modi and hugged him in the Parliament and said he has no hatred for you. We might have different ideologies but we do not have the ideology of hatred,” the Congress General Secretary said.

“You (BJP) talk about ‘Pariwarvaad’, I want to ask who was Lord Ram. Was he ‘Pariwarvaadi’, or were the Pandavas ‘Pariwarvaadi’ just because they fought for the culture of their family? Should we be ashamed because our family members fought for the people of the country?” she said.

She alleged that all resources of the country were being sold to one person and people were getting unemployed, inflation was at high level, “but the government is trying to suppress each voice”.

She challenged the government to put her in jail, “but I will not bow down.” She defended her brother, Rahul Gandhi and said, “The person who during Bharat Jodo Yatra was talking of harmony, unity can’t talk about anything which is not in the interest of the country.

“First they termed him papu, but they did not know that Papu was educated in top universities of Cambridge and Harvard. And, one day the Papu started walking with lakhs of people joining him even in snowfall and rain… So they decided to keep him out of Parliament so that he could not ask questions.

“The tide will turn from today… the whole nation will unite to throw the present regime, as the people have overthrown autocratic rulers.

“My father was insulted in Parliament, my brother has been given names like Mir Jaffar. The BJP ministers insult my mother in Parliament,” the Congress leader said.

While addressing the public, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that more protests will be done and it was time to hit the streets and fight the arrogant government.

“Why the Prime Minister’s whole government is saving one person and what is the relationship between them everyone knows,” he said.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also addressed the Congress ‘Sankalp Satyagraha at the Rajghat.

Countering the BJP’s OBC pitch after conviction and disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Gehlot stressed that he comes from the same
community and is a three-time Chief Minister.

He said among the Chief Ministers of the Congress, both he and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel are OBCs.

“I belong to the Mali Saini community … and there is just one MLA in the Assembly (from the community) that is me himself but I am a third-time Chief Minister in the state,” he said at the Congress ‘Sankalp Satyagraha’ at the Rajghat.

Meanwhile, in order to tackle any untoward incident at the Rajghat where the Congress party workers observed ‘Satyagraha’ against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha, the Delhi Police deployed its force and brought tear gas to be used in an emergency situation.

The Delhi Police have already imposed Section 144 in and around the area of Rajghat where the workers assembled and held Satyagraha.

The Delhi Police have made it clear that they have not given any permission to the Congress party to hold any kind of protest and Satyagraha. The Delhi Police said that to maintain law and order they have taken this decision.

But, the Congress workers assembled at the Rajghat to show their solidarity with Rahul Gandhi. Police forces were deployed to avoid untoward incidents.