The Congress launched a conclave on Thursday to mark the 125th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru amid much fanfare, at the Talkatora stadium in Delhi.
Speaking at the event, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said, "India is the only country where the freedom struggle was based on love, where we faced lathis but we did not react in anger. It's not like Congress did not commit any mistakes, we made mistakes. But we are not short of ideologies."
Criticising the Narendra Modi government over the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' (Clean India campaign), Rahul said, "Today, people have got photo opportunities and therefore they are cleaning streets, but no work is being done by the government. Those who have launched 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' are spreading poison in society."
The Congress vice-president also credited Nehru for promoting English in the country, without which the IITs and the IIMs would not have been possible.
“Many wanted to get rid of English after 1947, but Nehruji said we will use English language to unite with the world. Nehruji said we must be connected to world, Britishers have left but we will benefit from their language,” he added.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi said, "Nehruji fulfilled his responsibility of the formation of new India with enthusiasm and dedication. Without Nehruji, we would not have been able to send Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan."
Stating that an attempt is being made to finish the ideology of Jawaharlal Nehru, who believed in carrying all sections together, she added, "We have faced many challenges and learned from them as we had learned to face challenges from our leaders. We have to remain committed to our ideals and traditions. Nehruji's vision was liberal, democratic rooted for a united India."
The two-day event to highlight the legacy and worldview of India's first prime minister is being organised on November 17 and 18, and will be attended by a host of international leaders and representatives of various political parties from India and abroad.
The event is being held separately by the Congress even as the government has already indicated that it will organise Nehru's 125th birth anniversary this year in a big way to increase awareness about 'Chacha Nehru' through a number of initiatives like the 'Year of Bal Swachhta'.
Riled at the Congress for not inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the international conference to mark Nehru's 125th birth anniversary, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday accused it of practising hate politics.
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