'PM in office since 12 years, Nehru spent same number of years in jail for country': Priyanka
New Delhi (PTI): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday took on the BJP-led government during a debate on Vande Mataram in Lok Sabha, questioning its intention and asking it to address people's issues instead of delving into the past, while putting up a strong defence for Jawaharlal Nehru against attacks from the ruling side.
Here are some of the top quotes from Priyanka Gandhi's speech:
* This song has become a part of the nation's soul; it has resided in the hearts of the people of the country for 150 years.
* We are having this debate here today for two reasons. Firstly, the Bengal elections are approaching, and our Prime Minister wants to play his role in them. And the second reason is...that the government wants an opportunity to level new accusations against those who fought for freedom, who made great sacrifices for the country, and it wants to divert the country's attention from the burning issues of the people.
* The truth is that today Modi is no longer the Prime Minister he used to be. The truth is, it has become evident that his self-confidence is waning, his policies are weakening the country, and my colleagues in the ruling party are silent because, deep down, they too agree with this.
* The PM gives good speeches but he is weak on facts.
* Questioning the form of Vande Mataram, which was accepted by the Constituent Assembly, is not only an insult to those great personalities who made this decision with their profound wisdom, but also reveals an anti-constitutional intent.
* I want to give him (the PM) a small piece of advice -- whatever complaints you have against Nehru ji, whatever mistakes you think he made, whatever abuses you want to hurl, whatever insults you want to inflict, make a list of all of them... 999 insults, 9,999 insults, make a list, and then we will fix a time. We will ask the Speaker, we will fix a time – 10 hours, 20 hours, 40 hours, however many hours it takes for your complaints to be fully addressed... so that you are satisfied and we can have a debate. As they say in English, 'once and for all, let's close the chapter'. Let's close it. The country will hear what the complaints are -- what did Indira ji do, what did Rajiv ji do, what is dynastic politics; what mistakes did Nehru ji make. After that, the issues of the day like unemployment, inflation and women's problems should be discussed.
* Today's debate is being conducted merely to distract attention, because this government wants to hide the current reality of this country.
* The truth is that their rule is a rule of oppression, their politics is politics of event management, a politics from one election to the next, a politics of various distracting issues. Vande Mataram is the cry of those very hopes of this country that your government is rejecting every day.
* By making this great mantra of our nation's soul a subject of controversy, you are committing a big sin. The Congress party will not be a party to this. This national song, Vande Mataram, has always been dear to us, has always been sacred to us, and will forever remain sacred to us.
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Belagavi session: BIMS hospital case sparks heated debate in Upper House
Belagavi (Suvarna Vidhana Soudha): A major discussion erupted in the Legislative Council on Monday regarding a case at the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) Hospital, where it was alleged that a patient’s intestine was removed instead of a stomach tumor during surgery.
During the discussion on Question No. 13 (139), Congress member M. Nagaraju raised the issue and demanded strict action against the doctors and hospital administration responsible for the alleged negligence.
Responding to the concerns, Medical Education Minister Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil clarified that there was no negligence on the part of the doctors during the surgery at BIMS.
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The minister stated that the government had taken note of media reports claiming that a patient’s intestine was mistakenly removed due to surgical negligence. Upon inquiry, it was found that the patient was a chronic alcoholic and tobacco user, and the referral letter issued by the taluk hospital had identified a perforation in the intestine. He added that regular diagnostic procedures including USG and sonography revealed an appendicular perforation.
The minister further informed the House that on June 20, 2025, a laparotomy was conducted on the patient, and as swelling was observed at the tip of the appendix, an appendectomy was performed. During the surgery, the intestine was examined and found to be normal, and hence, was not removed, as confirmed in the report submitted by the institution.
Despite continuous treatment and medical advice, the patient was taken away from the hospital on June 22 by family members against medical advice, the minister added.
Dr. Patil assured the Council that no negligence occurred from the medical team during the surgical procedure at BIMS Hospital.
