Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday vowed to the fight the divisive forces after alleging that the Centre is having a “diabolical design” to spread intolerance across the country.
At the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government not paying homage to Indira Gandhi who died on this day for the cause of unity, the party also charged the BJP-led Modi Government for making attempts to appropriate the legacy of its leader Sardar Patel. The Congress also demanded the Government release the communique “banning” the RSS by the first Home Minister after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
“Organisations and people of a particular ideology are spreading it to divide people. We are under no illusion that it is an accident. The hate, violence and petty mindedness is being unleashed as part of a pre-determined plan. We will not allow such a diabolical design to succeed...It will shake country’s foundations....We are ready to fight the battle,” Sonia said.
“Today, our legacy is under threat...We are known the world over by our unity in diversity,” Sonia said at a ceremony where she presented the 29th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration to Gandhian social activist Rajagopal PV.
Her remarks came against the backdrop of protests by artistes, writers and scientists over alleged “rising intolerance” reflected in the Dadri lynching, beef row and other such incidents.
Noting that Indira Gandhi deeply understood the value of unity in diversity, she said had the late Prime Minister been alive she would have wanted the party to stand with the common man and fight for his cause.
Sonia also underlined the importance of the public sector, insisting that the late Prime Minister understood that the cause of people and national integration would be better served through it.
AICC spokesman Anand Sharma also dismissed the “run for unity” organised by the Government on 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, calling it “hypocrisy” against the backdrop of protests by artistes, writers and scientists over alleged “rising intolerance” after the Dadri lynching, beef row and other incidents.
He wanted the Narendra Modi dispensation to release the speaking order of Sardar Patel banning the RSS as also the correspondence he had with the then RSS chief MS Golwalkar and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee of the Jan Sangh.
Taking a jibe at the ruling dispensation, he said Sardar Patel was a stalwart of the Congress who worked along with Pandit Nehru, Maulana Azad and Rajendra Prasad in the freedom struggle. “They do not have heroes and icons and therefore they are borrowing them and borrowing them foolishly.... Sardar Patel had taken important decisions and one of them was banning the RSS. Sardar Patel had given a detailed order banning the RSS... First they should read it, then they will run in the opposite direction,” Anand said.
The Congress leader said that the Prime Minister has shown his “petty mind” by not remembering Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary.
Asked about BJP’s criticism of dynastic politics and the charge that the Congress does not see beyond Gandhi family, Sharma noted, “We also had Prime Ministers like lal Bahadur Shastri, Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh who were not part of the Gandhi family”.