A day after the BJP questioned the role of Jawaharlal Nehru in the Partition of India, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday said the party will strongly oppose misrepresentation of history for “political gains” by putting icons of the Independence movement “on the dock based on lies”.
In her message on the occasion of Independence Day, Gandhi said attempts to “trivialise” the sacrifices of freedom fighters and the “glorious achievements” made by the country over the last 75 years can never be accepted.
“We have achieved a lot over the last 75 years but what can never be accepted is that the current self-absorbed government is hell-bent on trivialising the great sacrifices made by our freedom fighters and the country’s glorious achievements,” Gandhi said in a written message released by the Congress.
Although the statement did not go into any specifics, it appeared to be aimed at the BJP’s account of the Partition of India released on Sunday in the form of short video clips across the party’s social media handles. The clip, which obliquely questioned Nehru’s role, was titled ‘Where were those people who had the responsibility to fight against divisive forces?’
Even on Sunday, the videos drew a sharp reaction from the Congress with the party’s general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh alleging that it was Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar who gave birth to the two-nation theory which Mohammad Ali Jinnah perfected.
“The real intent of the PM to mark August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day is to use the most traumatic historical events as fodder for his current political battles. Lakhs upon lakhs were dislocated and lost their lives. Their sacrifices must not be forgotten or disrespected,” Ramesh tweeted.
