In a stinging response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘mangalsutra’ jibe, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said her grandmother Indira Gandhi gave her gold when the country was at war, and that her mother Sonia Gandhi’s ‘mangalsutra’ was sacrificed for the country.
Referring to her father and late prime minister Rajeev Gandhi’s assassination, she said, ” My mother’s mangalsutra was sacrificed for this country”, adding that Prime Minister Modi doesn’t understand the value ‘mangalsutra’ holds for a woman.
“He (Modi) says the Congress wants to take away your gold, your mangalsutra. The country has been independent for 70 years. The Congress ruled for 55 years. Has anyone robbed you of your gold or your mangalsutra? When the war was on, Indira Gandhi gave her gold to the country,” she said while addressing a rally in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Further sharpening her attack on Modi, Priyanka said, “For the sake of her household, a woman will pledge her gold. But they won’t understand this,” she said, adding “If Modi knew the value of mangal sutra, he’d not have spoken like that…”
“When a farmer becomes indebted, his wife will pledge her mangal sutra. She’ll pledge it for her children’s wedding or to buy medicines,” she added.
“Where was Modi when demonetisation took away the savings of people? Where was Modi when the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed without any intimation and women suffered?” she asked.
Accusing Modi of not speaking about people’s problems, the Congress leader urged voters to cast their votes based on their own “lived reality”.
“What did you get from 10 years of the Modi government? Was there any betterment in your lives? An image of Superman was shown to you everyday. But you got a Mehangai-man,” Gandhi said, adding “the truth is that in 10 years, the government didn’t work for you. All policies were made for the PM’s select rich friends”.