New Delhi: In what was seen as a counter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks that it was a tribute to democracy that people from humble backgrounds rose to the highest constitutional positions, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday said even the rich as well as others had given the country a Constitution, enabling persons from a humble background to become the President, the vice- president, the Prime Minister and Supreme Court judges. Mr Azad took the example of Motilal Nehru, father of country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who sacrified riches for the country. Mr Modi had made these remarks during his welcome speech for the new vice-president and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu in the Upper House of Parliament.
Speaking after Mr Modi, the senior Congress leader, while congratulating Mr Naidu, said it was not a question of rich or poor but country’s democracy and its Constitution that any person, with his hard work and dedication, can become the President, the vice-president, the Prime Minister and Supreme Court judges. Though Mr Azad did not refer to Mr Modi’s remarks but his own remarks were seen as a counter to the Prime Minister’s statement. Mr Azad said the country cannot forget the contributions made by the rich who gave up their wealth for the country and spent years in jail for participating in the freedom struggle. He said the rise of grassroot-level persons like CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury and Mr Naidu to high positions was the biggest achievement of democracy and many who weren’t landlords or educated families had reached the zenith of their profession.
Recalling the contribution of Motilal Nehru, Mr Azad said that he was a big lawyer who earned Rs 7-10 crore in today’s currency terms but gave away his wealth. He said Mahatma Gandhi, too, was a big lawyer who gave away even his clothes and family for the country and also named Sardar Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Maulana Azad.
“We should not forget them and their contribution. Those who were well-off and educated, who gave up their riches, families and children for freedom of India,” said Mr Azad. The Congress had on numerous occasions accused the Modi government of not recognising the contributions of the first Prime Minister of the country. It could be recalled here that during the debate on 75th anniversary of the Quit India movement on August 9, Mr Azad had recalled the contributions made by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawarhal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and several others. However, leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and finance minister Arun Jaitley had not named any of them. Mr Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan too had skipped naming Nehru in their speeches.
