Mallikarjun Kharge
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The BJP on Friday condemned Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks about the RSS and accused him of speaking the language of the Popular Front of India (PFI), Muslim League and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.
This came after Kharge on Friday said that in his personal opinion, the RSS should be banned as most law and order problems in the country are arising because of the BJP-RSS. He also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has insulted the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by allowing government employees to be associated with the Sangh.
Hitting back, BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "We vehemently condemned Kharge's remarks about the RSS." "The language that he used today to talk about the RSS is the language of the Popular Front of India, Muslim League and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind," he added.
Patra said that the Congress president should read about the history of the RSS and the country before making such "objectionable" comments.
Kharge should also "know and understand" what Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi had said about the Sangh, he added.
Patra said that after visiting a Sangh camp in Wardha in 1934, Mahatma Gandhi had said that he was very much surprised by the discipline and absence of untouchability in the organisation.
After visiting a Sangh camp in Pune in 1939, Ambedkar said he was happy to find an absolute equality between the upper castes and lower castes in the organisation.
"After 1962 India-China war, Jawaharlal Nehru had invited Sangh to participate in the Independence Day celebrations in 1963 and Sangh participated… It's all recorded history," he said.
The BJP leader said that so far as Mahatma Gandhi's assassination is concerned, the Kapoor Commission made it clear that the RSS had nothing to do with it and the Supreme Court verdict in the matter is also in the public domain.
"From Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru to Indira Gandhi and Pranab Mukherjee, all praised the Sangh. Mallikarjun Kharge should read the RSS history and the history of the country. He should know and understand what several Congress leaders said about Sangh," he added.