PM Modi takes swipe at Congress: 'What's the fear in keeping 'Nehru' surname?'
2 min read . Updated: 09 Feb 2023, 06:44 PM IST
PremiumTaking a swipe at Jawaharlal Nehru, PM Modi said he doesn't understand why 'people from their generation don't keep Nehru as their surname, what's the fear & shame'.
As Congress and the Opposition demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in the Adani-Hindenburg row, Prime Minister Narendra Modi smoothly dodged the topic by attacking the Gandhi-Nehru family during his speech in Rajya Sabha. PM Modi said the generations of Jawaharlal Nehru have shied away from using the ‘Nehru’ surname. “What's the fear and shame?" PM Modi asked.
In his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, PM Modi questioned that if “Nehru was a good man then 'What's the fear in keeping the surname?"
“Some had problems with names of schemes of govt and Sanskrit words in the names. I read in a report that 600 govt schemes were in the Gandhi-Nehru family's name...I don't understand why people from their generation don't keep Nehru as their surname, what's the fear and shame?" PM Modi asked, taking a swipe at the Congress.
Congress misused Article 356
In another scathing attack, he alleged Congress of misusing Article 356 time and again.
“Which party and people in power misused Article 356? Elected governments were toppled 90 times, who were those who did that? A Prime minister used Article 356 as many as 50 times and her name is Indira Gandhi. In Kerala communist govt was elected which wasn't liked by Pandit Nehru & was toppled," he pointed out.
“In Tamil Nadu too, governments of veterans like MGR & Karunanidhi were dismissed by Congress people. Sharad Pawar's govt was toppled too. We have seen what happened with NTR when he was in US for treatment & attempts were made to topple his govt," PM Modi added.
Opposition raises slogan
As Modi started speaking at the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the opposition kept on raising slogans like ‘Modi-Adani bhai bhai’, ‘Adani pe kuchh to bolo’, ‘Adani ke gulami khatam karo’.
Hitting back at the Opposition MPs, PM Modi said, "The country carefully hears what is said in this House. Some MPs are bringing disrepute to the House."
He further said in Hindi, "Keechad uske pas tha mere pas gulaal...jo bhi jiske pas tha usne diya uchaal."
"I want to tell the Opposition MPs, the more 'keechad' you will throw at us, the lotus will bloom even more. So, you all have an equal role in making the lotus bloom, and I thank all of them for that," he said. Notably, the lotus is the BJP's party symbol.
They (Opposition parties) don't have enough slogans: PM Modi
In the middle of the speech, BJP MPs were also seen raising slogans ‘Modi-Modi’ to overpower the opposition sloganeering. But as nothing helped, the Prime Minister ended the speech with a masterstroke “Nation is watching how an individual is strongly facing many. They (Opposition parties) don't have enough slogans and have to change their slogans. I am living for the country..."
