Heritage of freedom struggle belongs to Congress; BJP, RSS trying to erase it: Gehlot

Jaipur, Nov 7 (PTI) Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday accused the BJP-led Central government of politicising the 150th anniversary celebrations of the national song Vande Mataram and using the occasion to undermine the legacy of India's freedom movement.

Speaking at a press conference, Gehlot said the Congress considers the heritage of the freedom struggle as its own and alleged that the ruling BJP and the RSS are attempting to erase that tradition of "sacrifice, struggle and dedication." The senior Congress leader, however, welcomed the decision to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the song but urged that the occasion be made inclusive. He said the government should ensure it is a national celebration, not a BJP event.

Several events were organised across the state to celebrate 150 years of the composition.

"My charge is that they want to end this legacy. The glorious history of our freedom movement is being deliberately forgotten," Gehlot said.

He said the RSS had no connection with India's Independence movement and its members sided with the British.

"In 1896, this song written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was sung by Rabindranath Tagore at the Congress' Calcutta convention. Vande Mataram became a mantra for all freedom fighters," Gehlot said.

"On the other hand, the RSS colluded with the British. The BJP is trying to change the Congress' history linked to this song and connect it with the RSS agenda, so that our next generation will not know the real history," he alleged.

"They never hoisted the tricolour, did not accept the Constitution and had even burnt effigies of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar. It was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who imposed a ban on the RSS. Now they are claiming Patel as their own," the senior Congress leader said.

Gehlot said the Congress' heritage was synonymous with the nation's freedom movement. "No one has the right to erase this history or let future generations remember only the RSS or BJP. We will not accept that," he said.

Gehlot questioned whether the RSS had ever sung Vande Mataram in its shakhas. "Their song is 'Namaste Sada Vatsale'. Have they ever sung or even discussed Vande Mataram?" he asked.

Gehlot said the 150th anniversary of the song should be celebrated in a way that involves everyone, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis and Jains, and it should not be turned into a partisan event.

On Bihar Assembly elections, Gehlot said that according to reports received from party observers, the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) was performing well, but the spike in polling percentages raised doubts.

He alleged that the BJP was bringing migrant Bihari workers back to the state by providing them train tickets, and that some voters were being told not to travel to polling booths as their attendance would be "marked" regardless.

"The kind of tricks the BJP people are capable of using during elections raises serious concerns about fairness," he said. PTI SDA RUK RUK