'Why Does Gandhi Family shy Away From Using Nehru Surname?': PM Modi Slams Congress in Rajya Sabha

Budget Session Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his attack on the opposition during the Rajya Sabha motion of thanks on President Draupadi Murmu's address on Thursday, mentioning Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. On Pandit Nehru, he stated, "Some had problems with names of schemes of govt & Sanskrit words in the names. I read in a report that 600 govt schemes were in the Gandhi-Nehru family's name...I don't understand why people from their generation don't keep Nehru as their surname, what's the fear and shame?"

Some had problems with names of schemes of govt & Sanskrit words in the names. I read in a report that 600 govt schemes were in the Gandhi-Nehru family's name...I don't understand why people from their generation don't keep Nehru as their surname, what's the fear & shame?:PM Modi pic.twitter.com/Qd9bLP2Tu2 — ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2023

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his response to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Opposition MPs began raising "Modi-Adani bhai-bhai" slogans in Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Modi also slammed the Congress for its history of seizing control of state machinery by invoking emergency powers under Article 356, claiming that it was the grand old party that abused constitutional provisions the most and toppled elected state governments at will.

"One prime minister used 'Article 356' 50 times, hitting a half-century," Modi continued, as Opposition MPs continued to yell slogans linking the prime minister to beleaguered billionaire Gautam Adani. "Mrs Indira Gandhi is her name." He also chastised Left parties for siding with Congress, recalling how the Nehru-led government dismissed Kerala's first democratically elected Communist government.

During his 90-minute speech, Modi also highlighted his government's accomplishments, from eliminating the waiting period for cooking gas to opening bank accounts for everyone and providing electricity connections. "In the last 3-4 years, approximately 11 crore houses have received tap water connections. In terms of common people empowerment, we launched the Jan Dhan account movement. 48 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened across the country in the last nine years," he added.

In the midst of opposition party sloganeering, the Prime Minister claimed that the Congress slowed the country's development and that India lost six decades while smaller countries advanced. Opposition parties used the debate to criticise PM Modi and the government for facilitating Adani's meteoric rise in recent years.