"Didn't Shake Patriotism: Priyanka Gandhi On Father, Grandmother's Assassinations

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said her grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi instilled patriotism in her in such a way that even the assassinations of the two former prime ministers could not shake her faith in the country.

Addressing a rally in Bilaspur city in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, she also slammed political opponents over allegations of "parivarwad" (dynasty politics) in the Congress.

"It is not parivarwad, it is patriotism towards the nation and faith in its people," the Congress general secretary asserted.

Praising Indira Gandhi, who was gunned down by her bodyguards in 1984, she said, "Our grandmother was not just our grandmother but a great personality. How can anyone kill her so violently? I often think what a feeling of patriotism she must have instilled in our hearts that our faith in the country didn't break even for a single minute or a second despite such a violent incident."

"A similar incident happened with my father (who was assassinated in Tamil Nadu in 1991) when I was 19 years old. But still our faith and patriotism remained intact. I am saying all these things because when we talk about Nehru ji, Indira ji and Rajiv ji, those who criticise us immediately raise the issue of 'parivarwad'," she added.

The Congress leader said this was not 'parivarwad', but "patriotism towards the country, which cannot be broken".

"It is faith towards people, farmers. No matter what you (opponents) say, you will never be able to break this faith and patriotism," she asserted.

She told the gathering no one can destroy their future if they are aware, adding that their focus (while voting) must be like Mahabharata's Arjun, whose attention was fully on the target.

Six seats in Bilaspur district are among the 70 Assembly segments that will go to polls in the second phase in Chhattisgarh on November 17. The first phase is on November 7, while votes will be counted on December 3.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)