Congress tried to end legacy of Patel, Ambedkar, Bose: BJP

New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) The BJP on Sunday asserted that Jawaharlal Nehru's "reality" will come out in the open during the upcoming debate on Vande Mataram's anniversary in Lok Sabha, as it flayed Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over her allegation that the ruling dispensation's main objective is to vilify the country's first prime minister.

The Congress tried to "end" the legacy of leaders like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Subhash Chandra Bose just to keep Nehru's legacy alive, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra charged and asked the Congress parliamentary party chairperson to stop promoting the Nehru-Gandhi family.

"So far as the question of finishing Nehru's legacy is concerned, who best will finish his legacy other than the present clan of the so-called Gandhis who are out on bail in the National Herald case," the BJP MP from Puri Lok Sabha constituency told reporters here, in an apparent reference to Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.

Without naming Gandhis, Patra said that an FIR has recently been filed against them for allegedly "capturing" National Herald, which was started by Nehru.

"If they are not tarnishing the legacy of Nehru, then who else is trying to do so," Patra said, adding, "When there will be a debate on Vande Mataram in Parliament tomorrow, I feel that the reality of Nehru ji will be revealed to everyone; he will again be exposed." Prime Minister Narendra Modi will initiate the debate on the 150th anniversary of the national song, Vande Mataram, in the Lok Sabha on Monday, while Home Minister Amit Shah will begin the discussion in the Rajya Sabha on December 9.

The Lok Sabha has listed 'Discussion on the 150th anniversary of national song Vande Mataram' on Monday and allocated 10 hours for the debate.

On Sonia Gandhi's accusations that a systematic attempt is being made to demolish Nehru's multifaceted legacy and rewrite history, Patra hit back, saying the BJP is only trying to ensure that due recognition is given to leaders.

"The BJP is not trying to rewrite history. The BJP is trying to rectify the history and give due recognition to the people who really contributed towards the independence of this country and to the various other facets of this country," he added.

Reacting sharply to the Congress leader's allegation that those targeting Nehru belong to an ideology that had no role whatsoever in the country's freedom movement and the making of the Constitution, the BJP said the remark is coming from a person who did not even belong to the country.

"Sonia Gandhiji, you shouldn't have raised this question.... It's because the country will ask a counter question as to what role Sonia Gandhi, who was known as Antonia Maino, and her family played in India's freedom struggle," he said.

"All of us who are here have, in some form, directly or indirectly, contributed and participated in the freedom struggle. But you did not even belong to this country. So you don't ask this question as to what contribution we made in the freedom struggle," Patra said.

The BJP leader also targeted Gandhi over her remarks that Nehru firmly believed in secularism, alleging that he had a "false sense of secularism" because he had once said that the original version of Vande Mataram would "irritate Muslims".

For Nehru, only that definition of secularism was important in which Lord Ram does not exist, he charged.

"Tomorrow, when there will be a discussion on Vande Mataram, I feel that Nehru will again be subjected to debate and discussion, and might be exposed," Patra said. PTI PK RT RT