'LET'S TALK ABOUT TODAY'S ISSUES'

The Congress response was immediate and combative.

- Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Speaking on behalf of her party, MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused Modi and the BJP of habitually belittling Nehru and distorting history for electoral gain. She challenged the ruling party to hold a detailed debate exclusively on Nehru and close it once and for all. "Let's close the chapter for once and all. After that, let's talk about today’s issues - price rise and unemployment," she added.

Gandhi reminded the House that Nehru had spent 12 years in prison—“the same time span that Modi has been Prime Minister”—and argued that modern India continued to benefit from institutions he founded. “Without ISRO there would have been no Mangalyaan; without AIIMS, the government could not have managed COVID,” she said.

Questioning the very purpose of the special discussion, Gandhi accused the government of seeking to divert attention from pressing public issues. She argued that the timing of the debate was linked to upcoming elections in Bengal and that the ruling party was using Vande Mataram to manufacture fresh grievances against freedom fighters. “This government wants people to ignore the present and future and just keep looking back at the past,” she said.