Priyanka Gandhi attacks Modi, says Duryodhana too had such arrogance
Ambala, May 7: In a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Tuesday said the Mahabharata character Duryodhana too had such arrogance .
Addressing a public meeting here, she also criticised Modi for calling her late father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi Bhrashtachari Number 1 (the most corrupt).
She dared Modi to fight the Lok Sabha elections on issues like development rather than divert the people's attention.
This country has never forgiven ego and arrogance. History is witness to this, the Mahabharata is witness to this, she said at the meeting in support of Kumari Selja, the Congress candidate from Ambala.
Duryodhana also had such arrogance. When Lord Krishna went to make him understand, he tried to take him captive, the Congress general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh said.
She read out by Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, saying wisdom is the first casualty before someone's downfall: Jab naash manush par chhata hai, pehle vivek mar jata hai...
She said if the prime minister has courage he should fight the Lok Sabha elections on issues related to development, employment, farmers and women.
He should face the people and tell them what he has done for them over the past five years and what he plans to do in the future, she said.
You are the PM, you are a big leader of the BJP, you should understand this. Otherwise the people will teach you a lesson, she said.
This election is about the achievements of the BJP-led Central government. But to hide their failures, they try to divert the attention of people of the country, she said.
Priyanka Gandhi said the people of the country are wise.
"You cannot mislead the people. The people of this country make every leader answerable and they will make you answerable as well, she said.
She attacked Modi for recently saying that Rajiv Gandhi's life ended as 'Bhrashtachari Number 1'.
When BJP leaders go out to campaign, they do not talk about issues. They do not say why they have not fulfilled the promises they made, she said.
They raise other issues. Sometimes they say the elephant was sleeping for 70 years, sometimes they seek votes in the name of martyrs, and at other times they insult those from my family who sacrificed their lives, she added.
"But they do not talk about your needs, your problems that need to be resolved, she said.
These polls are not about one family, this election is about crores of families whose hopes and aspirations have been completely broken by this government and the prime minister, she said.
Former Union minister Selja is taking on the sitting BJP MP R L Kataria in Ambala.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
