New Delhi: The BJP on Monday lashed out at the Congress over former vice president Hamid Ansari’s remarks citing former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s views on “Hindu right-wing communalism”, alleging that they expose the opposition party’s “Muslim League, Maoist” character.
The ruling party also attacked Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his “Chhatron Ki Goonj” event in Indore, saying he had demeaned his constitutional post with “clownish caricature”.
Ansari, while speaking at an event commemorating late constitutional expert and author A G Noorani at the India Islamic Cultural Centre on Friday, referred to Nehru’s view that “the real danger to India was not communism, but Hindu right-wing communalism” — cited in Noorani’s 2019 book ‘The RSS: A Menace to India’.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, BJP MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Ansari’s remarks have “thoroughly exposed that Congress has become Muslim League Maoist Congress in totality”.
He said the former vice president’s comment also suggests that Nehru considered communism a threat, while the Congress has now shifted towards “ultra-left”.
“Today, the Congress has gone ultra-left. It has taken a dive into communism, which Nehru considered a threat,” he said.
He further said Congress leaders should think before citing Nehru, claiming they may not have read what the former prime minister had written in his books.
Trivedi said Ansari has not just “dug up buried ghosts of history”, but “breathed life into them”. He alleged that the Muslim leaders endorsed by the Congress have “League-like sentiments”, ideas which have now become exceedingly prevalent within the grand old party.
Responding to a query regarding alleged anti-women remarks by Keralam Islamic scholar Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, Trivedi asserted that the Congress must oppose such sentiments, alleging that the party has been an “obedient follower” of the cleric despite claiming to be flag-bearers of “Smash the Patriarchy”.
Musliyar, the Grand Mufti of India, sparked widespread controversy in August after allegedly stating that women should remain confined to their homes and stay out of the public sphere.
Responding to a query about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron Ki Goonj” event in Indore, Trivedi attacked the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, saying whether he is qualified to remain in the constitutional post is a “yaksha prashna” (crucial question).
“He has demeaned the post of leader of opposition, compromising grace and gravitas for clownish caricature. In simple Hindi, he has descended to ‘jokarai’ (buffoonery),” he said.
“When there is lack of creativity, downfall is inevitable — his events have gone from humorous poetry sessions to laughter shows, and from laughter shows to stand-up comedy, and in stand-up comedy, vulgarity has crept in. The Congress has descended into utter obscenity,” Trivedi said.
He said the Congress should consider if it still represents the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Lokmanya Tilak, Rajendra Prasad, C Rajagopalachari, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Sardar Patel and Pranab Mukherjee.
“Such lows were never witnessed during the times of Jawaharlal Nehru or Indira ji. This the lowest the Congress has stooped to in its 140 years,” he said, adding that Gandhi had lowered not only the dignity of Parliament and the post of leader of opposition, but also that of his own family.
Taking a swipe at the Congress’ student wing NSUI, he said it failed to “open its account” at Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Delhi University. “Today’s youth is with the ABVP’s ‘Gyan, Sheel and Ekta (knowledge, character and unity)’, and not with ignorance, obscenity, anarchy and vulgarity.”
On Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on education, Trivedi said people would decide whether the Congress leader’s statements are “stupidity or cunning”.
He questioned whether the Congress had developed any new model in this regard, pointing out that education is a concurrent subject. “Tell me what model you (Congress) have established in states where you are in power. In Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh — what is the entrance examination process? And when you were in power in Rajasthan, what was the process?”
Speaking at his youth outreach programme “Chhatron Ki Goonj” in Indore on Saturday, Gandhi said only students can oust hatred from the country and not “Andhbhakts” — a term used by BJP detractors for supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
