The Congress on Monday vowed to fight attempts to “distort’’ historical facts for political gains with party president Sonia Gandhi alleging that a “self-obsessed” Government is hell-bent on “trivialising” the sacrifices of freedom fighters.
Sonia’s attack came a day after the BJP released a video narrating its version of events that led to India’s partition in 1947. The video was an indictment of the top Congress leadership at the time and showed pictures of Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The Congress also took a strong exception to the exclusion of India’s first Prime Minister Nehru in the Karnataka Government’s newspaper advertisement on freedom fighters and termed the BJP action “pathetic”.
The party hit out at the Prime Minister following his Independence Day address, saying he has let the country down by not discussing the promises made by him in the last eight years and by not giving an account of his tenure.
“Friends, we have achieved a great deal in the last 75 years, but today’s self-obsessed Government is bent on trivialising the great sacrifices of our freedom fighters and the glorious achievements of the country, which can never be accepted,” Sonia said in her message on India’s 76th Independence Day.
“Congress will strongly oppose any misrepresentation of historical facts and every attempt to put great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Abul Kalam Azad in the dock based on falsehood for “political gains”, she said.
She said that in the last 75 years, India has left an indelible mark on the international arena in all fields including science, education, health and information technology through the hard work of its talented people.
“Under the leadership of its visionary leaders, while on one hand, India established a free, fair and transparent election system, on the other, it strengthened democracy and constitutional institutions,” the Congress chief said.
Along with this, India has made its identity as a leading country that has always lived up to pluralism in language, religion and sect, she added.
The party also took a swipe at Modi over his remarks against nepotism, and said he was actually talking about internal politics of the BJP and attacking his own ministers whose sons are occupying high positions in the fields of cricket and politics despite not having expertise.
Asked about Modi’s remarks about nepotism and dynasty in his Independence Day speech, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said he would not make a comment on these things. Congress leaders also took out a march from the party headquarters to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Road as part of its Azadi Gaurav Yatra. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, and K C Venugopal among others attended the march.
At a Press conference, Congress spokesman Pawan Khera said the Prime Minister is becoming a victim of his own words and there is no enthusiasm or zest in his speech or heart as most of the promises made in the last eight years remained unfulfilled. He also alleged that the BJP has made no contribution to the freedom struggle and they are now trying to “whitewash” history.
Khera asked what happened to the promises of doubling farmers’ income, giving houses to all, bringing back black money, employment and giving Rs 15 lakh in every bank account. All these promises are neither letting him speak nor sleep as he seems tired, Khera said.