'Historic blunders' on J-K, China are Nehru's legacy: BJP hits back at Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday alleged that "historical blunders" like "allowing" Pakistan and China to occupy Indian territory and giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir are Jawaharlal Nehru's legacy, as it hit out at Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over her accusation that the ruling dispensation's main objective is to vilify him.

Hitting back at the Congress parliamentary party chairperson over her allegations that the ruling BJP's goal is not just to "erase" the legacy of the country's first prime minister but to "destroy" its social and political foundations, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the word destruction that Sonia Gandhi used in her accusation is "synonymous with" her son Rahul Gandhi.

"If there is any 'Bhasmasur' in Indian politics today, he is Rahul Gandhi. He destroyed the parties of Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra, then Arvind Kejriwal by forging an alliance with his party during the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi," Bhatia charged.

"After destroying Tejashwi Yadav recently in Bihar (polls), he is now heading for Uttar Pradesh to destroy Akhilesh Yadav in the state," he said.

Bhasmasur is a demon in Hindu epics known for a boon he received from Lord Shiva that allowed him to turn anyone into ashes (bhasma) by touching their head. However, this power ultimately led to his destruction.

Sonia Gandhi had on Friday alleged that a systematic attempt is being made to denigrate, distort, demean and defame Nehru, which was not acceptable.

Addressing an event to launch the Nehru Centre India at Jawahar Bhawan, she said that the project to vilify Nehru is the main objective of the ruling dispensation.

She said the sole objective of this is to not only diminish Nehru as a personality but also his universally recognised role in India's independence struggle and to demolish his legacy in a crude and self-serving attempt to rewrite history.

Reacting sharply to her charge, Bhatia asked, "What is Nehru's legacy?"

"Nehru's legacy includes inclusion of Article 370 in the Constitution, turning down an offer to become UN Security Council member for China and allowing both Pakistan and China to capture Indian territory," the BJP spokesperson alleged, and demanded a response from Sonia Gandhi.

Bhata said that the country has been paying for the "historic builders" made by Nehru.

However, the country is "so strong today" under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is "making amends" to those "blunders" made by Nehru, he said, citing the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in 2019, which revoked the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir.

The BJP spokesperson also flayed Rahul Gandhi over his allegation that the government tells visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet him, accusing the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha of playing "politics of lies".

Bhatia showed pictures of Gandhi's meeting with former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year and his meeting with Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon this year, and accused the Congress leader of repeatedly playing the victim card and indulging in drama.

Gandhi on Thursday alleged that the government tells visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet the Leader of the Opposition due to its "insecurity".

He said it is a tradition that visiting foreign dignitaries meet the LoP, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs were not following this norm.

Gandhi's remarks came hours ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to India.

Hitting back, Bhatia said, "Global diplomacy runs on credibility and not on the sense of entitlement."

"It is a misfortune of our country that he has become an LoP. He doesn't even know how to make responsible statements, keeping in mind the occasion. He has been a major source of embarrassment for our country," the BJP spokesperson charged.