Sambit Patra (ANI image)
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday accused the Congress of “destroying many great men’s leagacy” after veteran leader Sonia Gandhi alleged the government of vilifying former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.In a press conference, BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra said that many leaders like Shubhash Chandra Bose and Vallabhbhai Patel were marginalised in Congress to preserve Nehru’s legacy.“I respectfully tell Sonia Gandhi that to preserve Nehru’s legacy, the Congress Party has destroyed many great men’s legacies, including Vallabhbhai Patel, who was marginalised within the party,” Patra said. Similarly, Subhash Chandra Bose was neglected for many years,” he added.Patra further claimed that the BJP is correcting historical wrongs by giving credit to people who “really” contributed to the independence of this country.“The BJP is trying to rectify history and give due credit to the people who really contributed to the independence of this country and to its various facets,” he said.Taking a swipe at Nehru’s role in Jammu and Kashmir, Patra said, “We clearly say that without Pandit Nehru, there would have been no Kashmir problem.” Countering Sonia Gandhi’s assertion that Nehru was the prime architect of the modern Indian nation-state, he said, “Sonia Gandhi said Nehru was the prime architect of the modern Indian nation-state, but we believe she is wrong on this point. It is Babasaheb Ambedkar who created the Constitution that guides India today.”He further added, “Therefore, this self-congratulation and prioritisation of the Gandhi-Nehru family should be stopped.”This comes after Sonia, while speaking at the launch of the Nehru Centre India at Jawahar Bhawan in Delhi, alleged a “systematic attempt” by the government to vilify Nehru.“Let there be no doubt whatsoever that the project to vilify Jawaharlal Nehru is the main objective of the ruling establishment today,” she had said. “While we welcome ongoing analysis of his contributions, what is not acceptable is the systematic attempt being made to denigrate, distort, demean and defame him,” she added.She linked these alleged attempts to ideologies that opposed India’s freedom movement and the Constitution.
