New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday asked why those sitting in power are scared of naming China which has entered Indian territory, and said every Congress worker and every Indian is proud of the armed forces.
Talking to reporters after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said all Indians should ask the government this Independence Day what it was doing to protect the country and push China back.
In his speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the prime minister said India's soldiers had given a fitting reply to those who had challenged the country's sovereignty, from "LoC to LAC". Modi, who did not name China, added that the whole country is united in protecting the sovereignty of the country.
"Each and every Congress worker and all 130 crore Indians are proud of our armed forces and have full faith in them. We salute the armed forces for giving China an apt reply every time there has been an attack. But what about those who are sitting in power. Why are they scared of mentioning China's name?" Surjewala asked.
"At a time when China has entered Indian territory, every Indian needs to ask the government what it is doing to push China back and protect the country. On this Independence Day they should ask this. That is the true sense of democracy," the Congress leader added.
He said it is important to question the government on whether it believes in the mandate of the people and if there is freedom to speak freely in the country.
"Does our government believe in democracy? Does our government believe in public opinion? Do we have the freedom to speak, think, to travel, to wear what we like, to earn our livelihood or has that been curbed," Surjewala said.
The foundation of an 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India), he said, was laid by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and our freedom fighters.
"But a government which is selling public sector undertakings, handing over railways and airports to private players and attacking everything from LIC to FCI, will that government be able to keep the freedom of this country safe. It is the duty of the government and every citizen to keep the freedom of the country safe, he added.
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Lucknow (PTI): Denied a ticket from Pilibhit Lok Sabha seat, BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Thursday wrote an emotional letter to the people of his constituency in which he asserted that his relationship with them will remain intact till his last breath.
Sharing the letter on X, he said, his relationship with Pilibhit is one of love and trust which is far above any political calculations.
The BJP has fielded Uttar Pradesh Public Works Minister Jitin Prasada from Pilibhit replacing Gandhi, who has been vocal against his own government several times on the issue of inflation and unemployment.
Prasada had filed his nominations on this seat on Wednesday.
Recounting his association with the constituency, he said "Today, when I am writing this letter, countless memories have made me emotional. I remember that little three-year-old child who came to Pilibhit for the first time in 1983 holding the fingers of his mother. Little did he know that one day this land would become his work place and the people here would become his family".
"The ideals given by Pilibhit were instrumental in my upbringing and development not only as an MP but also as a person. Being your representative has been the greatest honour of my life and I have always raised my voice for your interests to the best of my ability," he said.
Varun Gandhi said his tenure as an MP may be coming to an end, but his relationship with Pilibhit can't end till his last breath.
"If not as an MP, then at least as a son, I am committed to serve you throughout my life and my doors will always remain open for you as before. I came into politics to raise the voice of the common man and today I seek your blessings to continue doing this work always. Even if I have to pay any cost for this," he added.
This is for the first time in over three decades that the mother-son duo of Maneka and Varun Gandhi will not be in the fray from the Pilibhit constituency which is located in the Terai belt bordering Nepal.
The denial of ticket to Varun Gandhi this time did not come as a surprise as he has been criticising the BJP on the issues of farmers, health and jobs.
After he was replaced by Prasada, reports did the rounds that Varun Gandhi might contest from the seat as an independent candidate. The suspense ended on Wednesday when he did not turn up before the nominations ended.
His mother Maneka Gandhi, the sitting MP from Sultanpur, was, however, given another chance from the same seat by the BJP.
The Pilibhit seat has remained with Maneka Gandhi or her son Varun Gandhi since 1996.
Maneka Gandhi won the seat on a Janata Dal ticket in 1989, lost in 1991 and won again in 1996. She won from the constituency in 1998 and 1999 as an Independent candidate. She won the seat in 2004 and 2014 as a BJP candidate.
Varun Gandhi won the seat in 2009 and 2019 as a BJP candidate.
प्रणाम पीलीभीत 🙏 pic.twitter.com/D6T3uDUU6o
— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) March 28, 2024