Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a speech filled with tears and emotion, said on Tuesday that his mother was abused during the Congress-RJD rally in Bihar and this act has insulted every mother and sister of the country.
Addressing nearly 20 lakh women through video conferencing while launching the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh, Modi reminisced about his late mother Hiraben.
Modi said in an emotional voice: “My mother used to work even when she was sick. She saved every paisa to buy clothes for us. There are crores of such hardworking mothers. In India, a mother is placed on a pedestal higher than that of a goddess… The abuses that were hurled at my mother from a Congress-RJD stage was not just for her, but for crores of mothers and sisters. Princes born in rich families with a golden or silver spoon in their mouth, will never understand the sufferings of a poor mother and her son’s struggles. …I want to tell the people of Bihar, Modi may forgive this insult, but the land of Bihar and India will never tolerate such an insult to a mother”.
Soon after the PM’s speech, protests were held in different parts of the country and the NDA gave a call for Bihar Bandh on November 4.
The emotional touch with which Modi spoke displayed the immense hurt that was caused to him by Congress workers who shouted filthy abuse in Darbhanga. Congress and RJD leaders in Bihar are now on the defensive.
The hurt caused to Narendra Modi is understandable. Any son will feel hurt if he hears people abusing one’s mother. Modi’s mother Hiraben passed away three years ago. She was never in politics. She did not hurt anybody. Was she abused only because her son is the Prime Minister?
Had Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav condemned this act by their supporters on that very day itself, heavens would not have fallen. They continued with their yatra. Had they expressed regret, it wouldn’t have snowballed into a big issue.
Probably the two leaders have large-sized egos. Soon after the incident, a Congress leader described it as a conspiracy, another leader said it was the work of an ordinary party worker. Soon after, other leaders indulged in whataboutery listing out the times when who abused whom.
In politics, there is no place for filthy abuses. It must be condemned. To indulge in whataboutery by alleging who had abused whom in the past, Congress leaders cannot say they have got the licence to abuse. The people of India do not approve filthy language. Politically, Tejashwi Yadav may have to face loss because of this. He will have to pay the price for insulting a departed mother.
Who will hear the cries of Gurugram ?
Flood situation has worsened in Punjab after heavy discharge of water from Bhakra and Pong dams, with the state government declaring flood as a state calamity. Flood in Punjab has claimed 30 lives and had caused distress to over 3.5 lakh people.
In Haryana, Yamuna, Ghagghar and other rivers are in spate and several hundred villages have been inundated. Crops on several lakh hectares of land have been damaged.
The Millenium City of Gurugram faced waterlogging in most parts of the city after incessant rains for the past three days. Long traffic jams were witnessed on Monday and Tuesday because of waterlogged roads at Rajiv Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk, Iffco Chowk and Khirki Daula toll plaza.
Thousands of people living in posh multi-storeyed apartments and gated enclaves have remained locked inside their homes. They are unable to move out. Employees working in top multinational companies have been asked to work from home.
Techies vent out their anger through memes and stinging remarks on social media saying the city that contributes millions of crores as revenue to the government is now at a standstill. Local governance has almost completely failed. People who bought posh apartments for several crores of rupees are being forced to live the life of an insect.
What is the fault of the residents of Gurugram? Why do they have to wait in several kilometer long traffic jams for hours because of waterlogging?
Is it their fault that they contribute more than Rs 1 lakh crore as tax to the exchequer? Is it their fault that Haryana collects 45 pc of its GST from Gurugram alone, and Haryana’s GST collection is almost five times that of Punjab?
Is it the fault of Gurugram residents that they contribute 27 pc of Haryana’s revenue as excise? Residents of Gurugram pay crores in road tax, toll fee and all other taxes and yet their roads become rivers when its rains continuously. Those living in apartments worth Rs 50 crore are unable to move out of their homes.
Gurugram is the home for several top multinational companies where people from big cities of the world come and work. What is the message that is being sought to be conveyed to the rest of the world?
Who is bringing a bad name to Gurugram? Such waterlogging and traffic snarls have not taken place once. It has become an annual feature.
Who will change this situation? Who will take care of the residents of Gurugram? There are no answers to these questions.
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