Priyanka Gandhi Questions PM Modi's Big Varanasi Roadshow, He Says '...Not in My Dictionary'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the word ‘nervousness’ does not exist in his dictionary, as Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi questioned his roadshow in Varanasi during filing of nomination papers for Lok Sabha elections. The PM also told citizens that he’s their own child, and he’ll improve in areas where they think he lacks.

“The word ‘nervousness’ does not exist in my dictionary. I have done ‘jeevan tapasya’ (spiritual discipline of life). I’ve spent every second of my life on our citizens, and not on myself. I’ve done this because I know these people are very deserving. They’ve been subjugated to injustice for 60-70 years. And when someone wipes their tears, thinks about toilets for them, they don’t forget,” PM Modi told News18.

“Modi is your child. If he is lacking in something, he’ll improve on it,” the prime minister added. The comments were made during PM’s conversation with News18 after he filed his nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.

The event was attended by several NDA leaders, including Union ministers and chief ministers, in a show of strength as Modi seeks a third term from the constituency.

Attacking PM Modi over Varanasi roadshow, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said, “These are not the kind of ‘jan samparks’ we did. Despite being a prime minister, my father Rajiv Gandhi used to visit villages on foot to listen to people’s problems; wipe their tears. Waving hands from a car, and citizens responding from metres away is not ‘jan samparak’.”

Countering Priyanka’s attack, Union minister Giriraj Singh said, “I will only say that the Nehru family exploited India. They cheated on the poor. Today, PM Modi came for them as their saviour.”

Meanwhile, BJP chief J P Nadda, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Hardeep Singh Puri, Anupriya Patel and Ramdas Athawale, and a host of chief ministers and other leaders of the ruling party and NDA constituents were present at the collectorate for as PM Modi filed his poll papers.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar did not attend the event citing health reasons.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma, NCP leader Praful Patel, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan, Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular founder Jitan Ram Manjhi, Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha, UP minister and NISHAD party chief Sanjay Nishad, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief Omprakash Rajbhar, RLD Chief Jayant Chaudhary, LJP (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirag Paswan, Anbumani Ramadoss, GK Vasan, Devanathan Yadav, Tushar Vellappalli and Atul Bora were also present at the collectorate.

According to the BJP’s Varanasi district unit media co-incharge Arvind Mishra, the four proposers of Modi’s nomination were Pandit Ganeshwar Shastri, long-time RSS functionary Baijnath Patel, Lalchand Kushwaha and Sanjay Sonkar.

PM Modi is eyeing a hattrick at the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, a seat he won for the first time in 2014.

He was dressed in a white kurta-pyajama and blue sadri when he arrived at the Varanasi collectorate to file his nomination paper. He waved at the crowd gathered there on the occasion.

The prime minister held a dazzling roadshow in Varanasi a day ago and vowed to do a lot more to serve the holy city in his third term.

A day later, he posted a clip from his Monday’s roadshow on ‘X’ and said, “The love and blessings that my family members of Kashi showered on me during the road show has become an unforgettable moment in my life.” Voting in Varanasi will take place in the seventh phase on June 1.

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