Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech emphasised on the fight against nepotism and corruption, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday refused to comment regarding the remarks.

“I won’t make a comment on these things. Happy Independence to everyone,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

#WATCH | Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, “I won’t make a comment on these things. Happy Independence to everyone,” when asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Two big challenges we face today – corruption & Parivaarvaad or nepotism’ remark, today. pic.twitter.com/XAw1QC47j0

— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2022

Gandhi had greeted the people on the occasion of the 76th Independence Day earlier in the day. He shared a quote from the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech and posted a montage of pictures highlighting India’s rich cultural tradition. “‘To India, our much-loved motherland, the ancient, the eternal and the ever-new, we pay our reverent homage and we bind ourselves afresh to her service.’ Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind,” Gandhi tweeted.

PM Modi during his address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort stressed the need to weed out corruption and dynasty politics from all institutions of the country. “The shadow of parivarvaad lies on several institutions. Our many institutions affected by family rule, it harms our talent, nation’s capabilities and gives rise to corruption,” he said.

“We have to develop an intolerance for this to save institutions. The welfare of the family has nothing to do with the welfare of the nation. Let’s cleanse India’s politics and institutions from the shackles of parivaarwad,” he said.

The Congress hit back at the Prime Minister following his address, saying he has let the country down by not discussing the promises made by him in the last eight years and by not giving an account of his tenure.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera slammed the Prime Minister’s nepotism remark and said Modi was actually talking about internal politics of the BJP and attacking his own ministers whose sons are occupying high positions in the fields of cricket and politics despite not having expertise. “The prime minister has been making promises in the last eight years and is becoming a victim of his own words and now sounds very tired. His words sound tiring as there is no passion or zest in his heart and his own words on promises made are troubling him now,” he told reporters at the AICC headquarters.

Khera said historic Independence Day speeches have been given from the Red Fort and it was expected that the prime minister would give a matured speech while understanding his responsibilities and the dignity of his post, but it is unfortunate that the prime minister let everyone down.

After unfurling the national flag at the Congress office, party leaders marched to Tees January Marg, the place where Mahatma Gandhi was killed, as a mark of respect to the father of the nation. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, and senior leaders Anand Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad among others took part in the ‘Azadi Gaurav Yatra’ in New Delhi.

“You will not be able to reduce the stature of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Instead you should strive to bring yourself forward. They have their style of how to whitewash history as they have not made any contribution to the freedom struggle,” he said.

With inputs from News18