Narendra Modi’s speeches in Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on February 7 seemed largely to be focussed on the Congress party and its history, and people on social media were quick to point out the prime minister’s obsession with the party and the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the cost of ignoring much pressing issues faced by the country.
In his speech made in Lok Sabha, Modi accused the Congress of dividing India in 1947 for which, he said, the country is still paying a price. He said that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir would have been a part of India if Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and not Nehru was made the country’s first prime minister. He also accused the Congress of splitting Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in a rush and took a dig at the Nehru-Gandhi family: “The interests of the nation were overlooked just for the interests of one family.”
In the Rajya Sabha, Modi said that Congress did not want a “New India” and instead opted for an “India of Emergency, Bofors and chopper scam.”
Soon after, Twitter was abuzz with people expressing discontent at Modi not talking about questions that his government had been posed on issues like price rise, lack of jobs, farmer suicides, and the Rafale deal, among other things, and instead focussing on the opposition.
But, perhaps, the most telling commentary was left for India’s cartoonists, who seem to have had the last laugh on the matter. Modi’s propensity to target Nehru and constantly blame the Congress while dragging the discourse back to the past form the bulk of the cartoons’ themes.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!