New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his article on Mohan Bhagwat, saying the “over-the-top tribute” to the RSS chief on his 75th birthday was a “desperate bid” to curry favour with the Sangh leadership.
Praising Bhagwat for his intellectual depth and empathetic leadership, Prime Minister Modi has said that his tenure as the head of the RSS since 2009 will be considered the most transformative period in its 100-year journey.
In a glowing piece that appeared in several newspapers on Thursday on Bhagwat’s 75th birthday, Modi said he is a living example of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and has dedicated his entire life to societal transformation and strengthening the spirit of harmony and fraternity.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “The Prime Minister, in his desperate bid to curry favour with the RSS leadership, has written an over-the-top tribute to Mohan Bhagwat on his 75th birthday today.”
“The PM has recalled that it was on September 11, 1893, that Swami Vivekananda gave his immortal speech in Chicago. The PM has also recalled that the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks in the US took place on Sept 11, 2001,” Ramesh said.
“But not surprisingly, the PM has not mentioned that Mahatma Gandhi first gave the call for satyagraha on Sept 11, 1906, in Johannesburg. That was when the world first heard of this revolutionary idea,” the Congress leader said on X.
Of course it is too much to expect the PM to remember the origin of satyagraha since the very word satya is alien to him, Ramesh said.
“The PM, who himself claimed to be non-biological, makes his pravachans appear as if they are God-se,” he said.
The opposition party’s dig at the PM came on Bhagwat’s 75th birthday.
Congress’ whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore also took a swipe at the PM.
“Advani ji at 75: ‘Rule is rule, step aside’. Murali Manohar Joshi ji at 75: ‘Rule is rule, retire gracefully.’ Mohan Bhagwat ji at 75: Modi writes poetry on ‘Wisdom & Trust’. So the famous 75-year retirement rule is not a principle, just a tool,” Tagore said on X.
“Apply it to Advani ji & Joshi ji. Bend it for Bhagwat ji. Ignore it for Modi himself. This is not respect, this is sycophancy. A long essay in praise of Bhagwat ji is nothing but Modi’s insurance policy – a message to Nagpur: ‘Don’t apply 75 to me in 2025’,” he claimed.
“The hypocrisy is breathtaking. For BJP founders – retirement. For Nagpur boss -? celebration. For Modi – exemption. Principles are meant for all. But in Modi’s politics, principles are disposable. Convenience first, conscience never,” Tagore said.
