Wayanad (Kerala): Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders for their repeated attacks on Congress, party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has said that they "seem frustrated and are making absurd statements" as Lok Sabha elections do not seem to be going in their favour and they are raising new issues every day which are not linked to the welfare of people.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Priyanka Gandhi accused the BJP leaders of stooping to the level of lying to people, misleading and trying to scare them.
She said if the BJP-led government had worked to improve the lives of people and tackle problems like price rise, unemployment, worked for creating educational institutions and providing health facilities then the discussion that is taking place on stage today would not have happened.
Priyanka Gandhi said BJP leaders apparently feel that the first phase of Lok Sabha polls held on April 19 has not gone in their favour and that is why they are carrying out "misleading attacks" on Congress.
"Going by the behaviour of the tall leaders of the BJP, including the PM, it seems that the election is not going in their favour. They seem frustrated and are making absurd statements...Had they done anything for the people in 10 years...what is being discussed from the stage would not have been discussed. They raise new issues every day which have nothing to do with public...You have stooped to a level where you lie to people and attempt to mislead and scare them. I think that the trends are not in their favour, so they are doing this," Priyanka Gandhi said.
"It is their old habit. We have been talking about vision from the beginning till date...You can even hear my speech...When you listen to their speeches, what do they have? What vision? You say Vision 2047, but what is that vision? What did you do in the last 10 years to take the vision forward?...What vision do you have for the common man? What are you doing about unemployment? About inflation?" Priyanka Gandhi added.
She was asked about repeated attacks by PM Modi and other BJP leaders on the Congress.
Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday addressed corner meetings in Wayanad, the constituency in Kerala from where her brother Rahul Gandhi is recontesting. The campaign for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections will end on Wednesday evening and all 20 seats in Kerala will go to the polls on April 26.
Priyanka Gandhi also hit out at PM Modi and BJP leaders over their "parivarvad allegation" against the party and said they have more members of families of party leaders in their party.
She said members of Gandhi family have given their lives for the country.
"They are my family, why would I not defend them?...I can claim with confidence that they have more (members of families of party leaders) in their party. When they talk about dynasty, they should understand that every family has dignity, every family has some principles. Members of the family will always fight for those principles. That is our tradition. Lord Ram too did the same...The truth is before the public. Members of this (Gandhi) family gave their lives for the country. We will continue to do that," she said.
She was responding to a query on personal attacks on the Gandhi family.
Priyanka Gandhi had responded to PM Modi's remarks that Congress wants to snatch "mangalsutra" of women as part of its intention to redistribute wealth on Tuesday also.
She said at a rally in Bengaluru that her mother's mangalsutra was sacrificed for this country and PM Modi is making such remarks so that they vote for him out of fear in Lok Sabha polls and he "should be ashamed".
"In the last two days, they are discussing that the Congress party wants to rob you of your mangalsutra, your gold. It has been over 70 years the country got Independence. The Congress has been in power for around 55 years. Has anyone taken your gold, your mangalsutra? When we were at war, Indira Gandhi gave her gold to the country. My mother's (Sonia Gandhi) mangalsutra was sacrificed for this country," Priyanka Gandhi said, referring to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a suicide bomber in Tamil Nadu in 1991.
The Congress general secretary had also alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders do not understand the struggle of women.
"The truth is that they do not understand women's struggles. The service in women's hearts is ingrained in the culture of our country. Women do not sleep till everyone in her home goes to sleep. If her family suffers from any financial trouble, she mortgages her gold. She will sleep starving but won't allow anyone else to go to bed without having food. They (BJP) do not know their struggle," she alleged.
She also spoke about demonetisation, lockdown during COVID-19 and farmers' agitation against farm laws that were later withdrawn.
"If Modiji had understood the importance of 'mangalsutra', he would not have said such immoral things...When demonetization happened, he took away the savings of women...During the farmers' protest, 600 farmers lost their lives, did Modiji think about the 'mangalsutra' of those widows? When a woman was paraded naked in Manipur, Modiji was silent, he did not say anything. Did he think about her 'mangalsutra'? Today for the votes, he is saying such things to the women, scaring them so that they vote out of fear. He should be ashamed," she added.
PM Modi alleged on Saturday that the Congress wants to take away the gold and property of people and distribute it among "those having more children".
He said that those who left Congress these days have pointed towards the party's manifesto and said that the party has gone into "grasp of urban Naxals."
Referring to reports about Congress's intention to redistribute wealth if elected to power, the Prime Minister said the party would conduct a survey and they would not even let Mangalsutra remain with women and "will go to this extent."
PM Modi has been taking jibes at the Congress over its manifesto in his election rallies.
