Legacy war in Congress, BJP over Jawaharlal Nehru
Congress did not invite Modi to Nehru's 125th anniversary celebrations
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-11-14 01:20 GMT
New Delhi: The fight over appropriating Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy intensified Thursday with the Congress, in a desperate bid to resurrect its secularism plank, launching a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-chief Rahul Gandhi took care not to mention names, it was evident the PM was their prime target.
In a scathing attack at a party function on the eve of Nehru’s 125th birth anniversary, Mr Gandhi accused the PM of “spreading the posion” of communalism in the garb of his Swachchh Bharat Abhiyaan. “On one hand houses are being painted and roads cleaned. Photo opportunities are happening. On the other hand, poison is being spread.”
The BJP hit back, saying it was “using Nehru’s birth anniversary to divide society”.
The Congress attack on Mr Modi’s Swachchh Bharat Abhiyaan came in the backdrop of government moves to leave its own stamp with a “Bal Swachhta Varsh” (year of sanitation campaign by children) on November 14, also observed as Children’s Day.
Mrs Sonia Gandhi, with Rahul, former PM Manmohan Singh and former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit beside her, trained her guns at the PM, without mentioning him by name. “Massive attempts are being made to destroy the vision of Nehru,” she said.
The Congress, which has invited global leaders for the international conference on Nehru, did not invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In its bid to consolidate the like-minded outfits, the Congress has also invited JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee. In the tug of war over the legacy home minister Rajnath Singh will kickstart the government’s 125th Nehru birth anniversary celebration from November 14.