Nationalism means respect for people: Priyanka to BJP
Amethi/Rae Bareli: True nationalism means love of the people and for the country but the BJP mirrors neither love nor respect in anything it does, says Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Stepping up her attack on the saffron party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to address real issues, Priyanka Gandhi said there will be consequences if the voice of the people is drowned by the voice of one leader.
In an exclusive interview to PTI, the Congress leader also said there is growing "public anger and pain" for which the people of India will give a message to Modi on May 23 when the votes for the Lok Sabha polls will be counted.
"I believe true nationalism is love of the people and love for the country, which means respect and I do not see respect for the people in anything they are doing," Priyanka Gandhi said in an interview during her campaign through the constituencies represented by her mother and brother.
While Sonia Gandhi is the MP from Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi represents Amethi in the Lok Sabha. "Nationalism means solving the problems of the people of the country. The greatest patriotism of any politician, of any government, would be to be able to hear the people when they speak, would be to be democratic, to be able to strengthen the institutions that strengthen the public voice, not weaken it," Priyanka Gandhi said.
The BJP has been building its campaign narrative around the issue of nationalism and national security and the party has been referring to the Balakot air strikes and the Modi government's policy in tackling terror. Priyanka Gandhi, who has been vigorously campaigning in Rae Bareli and Ameth, said the Modi government's policies have led to large scale public anger and pain among people. "I think the people will give the message to him (PM) because I think whereever I go, I see a lot of public anger, public pain, which has not been addressed," the Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh said.
"Any leader whether it is him (Modi) or anyone else, if public pain is not addressed, if the voice of the people is drowned by the voice of one leader or by the kind of ideology they have, they will have to suffer the consequences. So I think the people are very clear," she said. PTI
