Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the latter had not kept the integrity of his position intact.
The former J&K chief minister claimed that contributions of former prime ministers like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were being forgotten, saying, “If we are sitting here it’s because of them.”
“Quality goes down to level of forgetting what Nehru contributed to this nation. What Indira Gandhi gave to this nation, she gave her life. Rajiv Gandhi and other Prime Ministers - did they not give their entire time to build this nation? If we are sitting here it's because of them,” said Abdullah at an event in the national capital on Monday.
Referring to a recent remark by Prime Minister Modi over alleged attack by Congress members on his parents, the National Conference leader said, “What we are talking about? Meri maa ko gaali diya, mere baap ko gaali diya (they abused my mother, they abused my father).”
“Is that the level of the Prime Minister? I have never used my father and my mother in my language. As Prime Minister of this nation, he has to think in a bigger way,” said Abdullah.
Recalling an interaction between former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Abdullah said that the first prime minister of the country had congratulated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart when the latter made his first speech.
“Atal Bihari Vajpayee told me that when he made his first speech, Nehru went to him and said 'Atal you'll be the PM of this nation one day'. He, coming from RSS background, realised that this nation can't be built by one but by all and those who built this in past can't be forgotten,” said the veteran politician.
He further added that the Congress party should have awarded Bharat Ratna to Vajpayee when the former prime minister was in good health and alive.
