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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday came down heavily on the BJP and RSS accusong it of conspiring to portray Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru being against each other, adding that they were “two sides of the same coin”.
Addressing the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here at Sardar Patel Memorial, in the presence of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Kharge said, “An atmosphere is being created against the Congress party which has a glorious history of serving and fighting for the country for 140 years. This work is done by those people who have nothing to show as their achievements. They have nothing to show as their contribution in the freedom struggle.”
He asserted that a “well-planned conspiracy” is being carried out against many national heroes under the ruling dispensation.
Lamenting at the BJP and the RSS, the Congress chief said, “They (BJP and RSS) conspire to portray the relationship between Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru as if the two heroes were against each other. While the truth is that they were two sides of the same coin. Numerous events and documents bear witness to their cordial relationship.”
Stating that it is in public record that there was almost daily correspondence between Patel and Nehru, he said, “Nehru ji had immense respect for Patel ji. If he needed any advice, he would personally visit Patel ji’s house. For Patel ji’s convenience, CWC meetings were held at his residence. Nehru used to seek his advice on all matters.”
Pointing out that Patel’s ideology was contrary to the ideas of RSS, Kharge said he had even banned the RSS, but now people associated it with Patel’s legacy.
Recalling the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Patel, he said they played an important role in making Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar a member of the Constituent Assembly.
The Congress chief said Ambedkar himself in his last speech in the Constituent Assembly on 25th November, 1949 had stated that ‘the Constitution could not have been made without the cooperation of the Congress party.
“But when the Constitution was made, the RSS criticized Gandhiji, Pandit Nehru, Dr Ambedkar and the Congress a lot. They burnt the Constitution and the effigies of these leaders at Ramlila Maidan. They also said that the Constitution was not inspired by Manuvadi ideals,” he said.
Kharge also accused the ruling BJP that it insulted Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar by removing their grand statues from the Parliament premises and putting them in a corner.
He also referred to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Dr Ambedkar.
It may be mentioned that Shah had said, “It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar’. If they had taken God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven.”
Kharge categorically said the Congress party respects both the Constitution and its makers and knows how to protect it.
“Sardar Patel saheb lives in our hearts and thoughts. We are carrying forward his legacy. We have organized this CWC meeting in Ahmedabad in Sardar Patel Museum’s premises with this thought in mind,” he said.
Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha further said, “Today, attention is being diverted from the basic issues of the country by doing ‘communal division’. On the other hand, ‘oligarchic monopoly’ is on the path of controlling the government by capturing the resources of the country.”
Referring to Gujarat, he said, “Gujarat is the state from which Congress has got maximum strength in its 140 years of history. Today we have come here again to take inspiration and strength. Our real strength is the unity and integrity of our country and the ideology of social justice.”
“But today, to take that ideology forward, it is important that we first strengthen ourselves. Strengthen our organisation,” he added.
The Congress leaders after their arrival at Sardar Patrl Memorial here also paid floral tributes to him before the meeting.
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