Priyanka dares return to ballot system

In her maiden Lok Sabha speech on Friday, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked the ruling BJP for “dismantling the protective shield of the Constitution” and said had it not been for the parliamentary poll results, the saffron party would have “moved to change the Constitution”.

Participating in the discussion on the Constitution, Priyanka said perhaps “the Prime Minister did not understand that the Constitution of India was not the Constitution of the Sangh (a veiled reference to BJP’s ideological mentor RSS)”. She dared the BJP to introduce ballot papers and also asked it to “draw lessons from Emergency”.

Dotting her 32-minute speech with Congress’ principal anti-BJP planks —Adani issue, farmer distress, caste census, atrocities on women and privatisation to undermine quota — Priyanka, in a jibe at the BJP, said, “India has not remained in the hands of cowards for long.” As the Opposition’s lead speaker after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks where he attacked late Congress stalwarts Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, the Wayanad MP said, “Most ruling party leaders speak of the past, of what Jawaharlal Nehru did. I ask them to talk about the present—what are you doing? What is your responsibility? Or is the entire responsibility that of Nehru?”

Responding to Rajnath Singh’s recall of the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, Priyanka said the ruling party should take lessons from 1975.

“Take lessons from 1975, you also apologise. Conduct elections with ballot papers. ‘Doodh ka doodh paani ka paani ho jayege’,” she said, giving weight to the Congress’ latest plank against the EVMs and on poll frauds.

As Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, her mother Sonia Gandhi, husband Robert Vadra, son Raihan watched from the visitors’ gallery and brother Rahul sat in the Lok Sabha listening, Priyanka accused the BJP of betraying farmers, women and OBCs. She alleged the NDA was destroying the Constitution, a protective shield of justice, unity and freedom of expression and called “lateral entry and privatisation ploys to weaken reservation”.

“Had the Lok Sabha poll results been different, they would have started the work of amending the Constitution. They are swearing by the Constitution today because Indians have safeguarded the Constitution and they know people will not accept tinkering with the Constitution. Caste census is the need of the time. My rival (Rajnath Singh) today mentioned the caste census only because election results were such... ‘yeh haartey haartey jeet gaye’ (they just scraped through),” she said, her tone measured but sharp.

Priyanka also questioned the government why it was not passing the women’s reservation Bill. “Will women of today wait until 10 years?” she asked, alleging everything was being given to industrialist Gautam Adani while “farmers had been left at the mercy of Gods”.

The Congress MP also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his absence from Parliament and said “in the past, kings would go around in disguise to hear criticism of their reign and today, kings wear a disguise but don’t have the courage to go among the people”.

Priyanka was questioning the PM over violence in Manipur and Sambhal even as she recalled her personal interfaces with the victims of violence—from the family of the rape victim in Unnao to the children of a tailor who died in Sambhal firing.

“The PM bows to the Constitution but when Manipur and Sambhal happen, there is not even a wrinkle on his forehead,” she said.