Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took pot shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Clean India campaign and said that those behind the initiative are spreading communal poison in the society.
The Congress leader also took a jibe at the Modi-led NDA Government and alleged that angry people are running the nation.
“This country is like the house we live in, on one hand people are cleaning up the house and on the other hand, they are spreading the poison of hatred – weakening the basis of our country. When the foundations are weak, then the enemies of this nation benefit,” he said.
He also dismissed the Clean India mission as a “photo opportunity”.
Seeking to bolster the morale of his party workers, Rahul said the Congress party has suffered setbacks, but never given up on its ideologies.
Recalling Jawaharlal Nehru’s love for the country, Rahul said that the first Prime Minister of India had thanked the Britishers for putting him in jail and keeping him isolated, thus, making him realize his love for the motherland.
“In that, there was no anger – he thanked the British for putting him in jail and making him realize his love for the motherland,” he said.
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.
Amid a bitter feud with the ruling BJP to stake claim to the political legacy of leaders of India’s freedom struggle, the Congress party today Thursday kickstarted a series of commemorative events to mark the 125th birth anniversary of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru amid much fanfare.
The Congress is locked in a bitter political war with the ruling BJP over former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy and the party’s plans to celebrate Nehru’s birth anniversary in a grand manner is seen as a move to counter the latter, which recently organised a grand national day of unity to mark Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary.
As per reports, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, along with former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who is also the chairman of the committee that will oversee the year-long celebration of Nehru’s birth anniversary, will administer a pledge to protect his values and vision to party workers.
According to Congress Delhi Legislative Party leader Harun Yusuf, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul will also address the party workers on the occasion.
Seeking to revive the Nehruvian ‘idea of India’, Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed on Wednesday said that his party had invited leaders of all the Left parties, the JD(U), the RJD, the Trinamool Congress and other parties. However, none of the BJP allies has been invited.
An invite has been reportedly sent to its former ally, TMC led by Mamata Banerjee. Former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too has been invited to the international function to be held in Delhi on November 17-18.
