PM Modi slams Congress for 'sacking' of Lata Mangeshkar's brother Hridaynath from AIR for 'presenting poem by Veer Savarkar'

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday slammed Congress for harassing Lata Mangeshkar's brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar, who was allegedly sacked at the All India Radio.

"Lata Mangeshkar's family is from Goa. But what her family was subjected to, should be shared with the entire nation," said PM Modi in Rajya Sabha during his reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address to the joint session of Parliament.

In his address, PM Modi said, "Lata Mangeshkar's younger brother, Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar Ji, a proud son of Goa, was sacked by All India Radio. What was his fault? Just this, that he had once presented a patriotic poem by Veer Savarkar on AIR."

Slamming the Congress party further, PM Modi added, "Hridaynath ji had said in an interview that once he met Savarkar and told him that he wanted to recite his poem. Savarkar ji had responded, ‘Do you want to go to jail by reciting my poem?' But Hridaynath ji recited it and within eight days he was sacked at AIR. This is the essence of the Congress concept of freedom of expression."

PM Modi also asserted that the Congress had "throttled" democracy in 1975 and now it had the audacity to give the BJP a tutorial in democracy.

Continuing to attack the Congress, Modi said the problem with the party is that it does not think beyond the dynasty. "The biggest threat to India is from dynastic political parties and when a family is supreme in a party, the first casualty is talent. For years, the country has suffered owing to it. I expect all political parties to follow democracy in their working also and the Congress should take a lead in this."

Holding the Congress' mindset that 'India is Indira and Indira is India' responsible for these debacles, he said: "What would have happened if the Congress was not there? This was Mahatma Gandhi's wish too." Taking a jibe at the party, he said, "Had Congress ceased to be as per Mahatma Gandhi's wish, democracy would have been free from dynastic influence, there would not have been any foreign interference, no emergency, no caste and regional divide. Had Congress not been there, then Sikh's massacre would not have happened and Punjab would not have burnt in flames of terrorism for years, there would not have been exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and daughters would not have been burnt in tandoor."

His remarks evoked a sharp response from the Congress with the LoP objecting to it strongly stating that Modi should have spoken only on the President's speech.

At this, Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu intervened and said: "Kharge ji, you all had also spoken like this." The Congress members rushed to the well of the House and kept on protesting. After a while, they staged a walk-out. Modi went on to say that the Congress has a problem with the word 'nation' as well. "If 'nation' is unconstitutional, then why is your party's name, the Indian National Congress? Change it to Federation of Congress. Correct the mistakes done by your predecessors." he added.

Published on: Tuesday, February 08, 2022, 11:10 PM IST