I-Day speech: PM Modi was ‘prompting’ kids to clap, says Rahul

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service 

New Delhi, August 16

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “prompting” schoolteachers during his Independence Day address and the teachers were then instructing the assembled children to clap as he spoke.

“Yesterday I heard the PM’s speech. Mujhe jaana pada (I had to go). It was a 90-minute speech. I saw there were children seated all around the complex. The PM would indicate to the teachers who would then prompt the children to clap. Everything is a drama,” Gandhi said addressing an event organised here today by former JDU leader Sharad Yadav and attended by Opposition representatives.

Gandhi, who visited AIIMS to see ailing former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee moments before coming to the event, used the occasion to attack the ruling BJP, the PM, BJP Chief Amit Shah and the RSS.

He said for the BJP India is the “golden sparrow” it was for the British. “The BJP chief calls India ‘soney ki chidiya’. but for us India is like a river. All assimilating river. For them it’s a golden sparrow and their aim is to use that sparrow to benefit some top industrialists,” Gandhi said mentioning Vajpayee in the end and wishing for his recovery.

The Congress chief used the occasion to again attack the PM on over pricing of Rafale jets. 

Gandhi said the French President personally told him cost was not covered in the jet deal secrecy pact and can be disclosed since money being paid is taxpayers’ money.

A host of Opposition leaders were present at the event called “Sanjha Virasat Bachao Sammelan”, including CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI Leader Sudhakar Reddy, SP’s Dharmendra Yadav , TMC’s Chandan Mitra, JDs’ Danish Ali, RJD’s JP Narain Yadav and RLD’s Jayant Choudhry. 

The event is an annual feature organised by Sharad Yadav, a former JDU stalwart who now has his own party, Loktantrik Janata Dal.

Also present was former PM Manmohan Singh who didn’t speak.

Other leaders like Yechury, Dharmendra Yadav and NCP’s Tariq Anwar who spoke called for BJP’s ouster to “save the Constitution and the country”.