Responding to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s call to parties to unite against the BJP and RSS, the BJP leaders on Sunday said that such an attempt will only backfire.
Hitting back at JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar who has called for a ‘Sangh-mukt’ (Sangh-free) country “to save democracy”, BJP said critics of RSS should at least attend its ‘shakha’ for a day to clear their “misconceptions”.
BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma launched said everyone was aware of JD(U) leader’s national ambitions. Sharma asked Congress President Sonia Gandhi to make it clear if Rahul Gandhi will lead such a front or will he be just part of it.
“Nitish Kumar has called for an RSS-free India. You have stayed with people from Sangh for long. You have had a long coalition with BJP. You have been participating in BJP programme also. But you have called for a Sangh-free India. It is better you learn and understand the Sangh a little bit… Those who oppose the RSS in the country should first at least visit its ‘shakha’. Only then will they have a better understanding and their misconceptions cleared,” Sharma said.
His party colleague and Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that Nitish Kumar used to once chant anti-Congress statements, but was now standing with the Congress.
“You (Nitish) are unable to digest the fact that we are working for poor, weaker sections of the society. And therefore, you are not opposing BJP but the efforts to uplift the weaker sections and to empower the poor. We have no objections to what he says. He won’t succeed in his motive,” Naqvi said.
RSS ideologue M G Vaidya said efforts to attack the Sanghwill only backfire. “They can’t defeat the BJP on their own. May be they will gain a bit by coming together. As far as Sangh is concerned... when there are increased protests against the Sangh, it grows. Sangh does not grow at someone’s mercy but because of the hard work and capability of its workers,” he said.