The Congress hit out at the RSS and the BJP for praising Netaji for his military endeavours to liberate India while their ideological ancestors had done totally the opposite
Irked at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attack on Nehru and Gandhi family on the 75th anniversary of proclamation of the Azad Hind Government, the Congress hit back describing it as "vitriolic and diabolical" design of the Modi Government to defame national icons and "malign" democratically elected leaders.
"Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel were completely against the philosophy of sectarianism and bigotry that is espoused by PM Modi's ideological patriarch — the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha," said Congress spokesperson, Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Terming PM Modi's speech as a poor attempt to appropriate the legacy of freedom fighters, Singhvi said, "Those who do not have their own ideas or idol and have zero contribution in the national movement of freedom struggle try to attribute and appropriate the legacy of our freedom fighters in an attempt to be perceived 'Nationalist'."
He recounted efforts of the governments under India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress to preserve and propagate Netaji's legacy.
"In August 1947, Nehru raised the Indian national flag above Lahori Gate and made a special mention of Netaji, regretting his absence on the occasion. It was Nehru who was INA's Defence Lawyers in the Red Fort trials of the INA. The declassified 'Netaji Files' reveal how prime minister Nehru and chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy took care of Subhas Chandra Bose's family," said Singhvi.
The Congress hit out at the RSS and the BJP for praising Netaji for his military endeavours to liberate India while their ideological ancestors had done totally the opposite.
"When Netaji was revamping the Azad Hind Fauj in Japan and Gandhiji had given the 'Quit India' call, the RSS and was hand in gloves with the British. Hindu Mahasabha under Savarkar's leadership organised recruitment camps for the British armed forces," said Singhvi.
It termed BJP's attempt to portray Bose as Mahatma Gandhi's victim and Pandit Nehru's rival to get cheap political mileage as in reality Netaji always had the highest regards for both of them.
"Netaji founded first National Planning Committee in 1938 and post-Independence, Congress Government under Pt Nehru continued his legacy by envisaging Five Year Plans for India's planning," added Singhvi.
"He named two INA regiments after Gandhi and Nehru. It was Netaji who first gave Gandhi the epithet of 'Rashtrapita', or the father of the nation, in a radio address from Singapore in 1944. It was the same year when Nathu Ram Godse, made his first attempt to kill Gandhi," said Singhvi.
Singhvi dared Modi government to declassify the remaining files on Netaji asserting that BJP has just played politics as in the past 53 months, the Modi Government has only indulged in news plants and nothing adverse has come against the Congress party as perpetrated by them.
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