Congress weakened by shirtless protest: Ramdas Athawale
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, on Monday said the Congress tarnished the nation’s image and also weakened itself through the ‘shirtless’ protest at the recent AI summit in Delhi. Athawale, the Republican Party of India (A) chief, is on a two-day visit to Bihar. He addressed a seminar in Bodh Gaya on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters in Patna, Athawale said, “The condition of the Congress, which had been in power for 60-70 years, has become pitiable. If Rahul Gandhi and the Youth Congress keep doing such things, I think their party will be reduced to nothing.”
He claimed that Congress is being criticised all over the country for the protest it held at the summit venue. “Topmost leaders of around 80-85 countries had come to the summit, and it was certainly not the right thing to do,” he said. Since India is known for spreading the message of global peace and democracy across the world, such an act by the Congress workers has put a blot on this reputation, he added.
Responding to Congress’s allegation that the Government has “compromised” the country’s sovereignty and respect through the India-US trade deal, Athawale said that the Rs 45 lakh crore deal will be beneficial for all sections of society.
“The India-US trade deal will benefit the farmers and MSMEs. The tariffs on farmers’ agricultural products have been reduced to zero. And since the Congress is opposing such a deal, people are questioning their credibility,” he said.
Athawale, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, claimed that the Centre is working continuously to develop India through road, rail, metro and other infrastructure projects.
Athawale also demanded that only Buddhists be made the trustees of the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), established by the Bihar Government under the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949.
Currently, BTMC comprises four Buddhist and Hindu trustees each.
“We do not oppose anyone, but our assertion is that it is not right to have people of other religions in the trust of Buddhist temples. The responsibility of ensuring this falls squarely on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, with whom I had a discussion during my last visit to Bihar, and the Supreme Court of India,” Athawale said.
He said his party treads on the principles of Babasaheb Ambedkar. The Maharashtra leader also denied the possibility of a merger between NCP and NCP-SP. “Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar had probably talked about the merger, but now, after Ajit Pawar’s death, I do not think such a merger is possible,” he said.
On February 20, a group of Indian Youth Congress workers staged a dramatic ‘shirtless protest’ at the AI Impact Summit exhibition hall in Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam, walking around holding t-shirts with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal printed on them.
Following the incident, the Delhi Police arrested four IYC workers in connection with the protest, with a senior officer saying that a probe for a wider conspiracy is underway.
