No mention of Indira on Vijay Diwas: Rahul
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the homage and reception ceremony of Swarnim Vijay Mashaals on the occasion of 'Vijay Diwas', at National War Memorial in New Delhi on Thursday
New Delhi: Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ripped into the "misogynist BJP government" after it 'skipped' any mention of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during Vijay Diwas celebrations - on Thursday mark the 50th anniversary of India's victory over Pakistan in 1971.
The Lok Sabha MP said Indira Gandhi, his grandmother, "took 32 bullets for the country (she was shot dead in 1984) but her name was not even mentioned at a government event".
"Our first and only woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, is being left out of the misogynist BJP government's Vijay Diwas celebrations. This, on the 50th anniversary of the day that she led India to victory and liberated Bangladesh..." Ms Gandhi Vadra tweeted. "Narendra Modi ji... women don't believe your platitudes. Your patronising attitude is unacceptable. It's about time you started giving women their due," she said.
Earlier both Houses of Parliament paid tribute to the soldiers who had died in the war. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said soldiers' sacrifices would "inspire future generations" and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu praised their "display of dauntless courage". " Respondents appeared to be evenly divided in their opinion on the creation of Bangladesh and its impact on India, as per an IANS-CVoter Snap Poll.
The nationwide poll was conducted on the occasion of 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. The sample size for the poll was 2,339.
While 29.5 per cent of those who participated in the survey believe that creation of Bangladesh has helped India a lot, 20.8 per cent opined that it has helped a little.
As many as 23.7 per cent of the respondents felt that the birth of the new country made no difference to the interests of India, while 26 per cent said that the independence of Bangladesh has actually harmed the interests of India.
A majority of Indians believe that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh and better prospects in India are the key reasons for the dwindling Hindu population in Bangladesh since its independence in 1971.