A video showing Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar wondering aloud if they should keep Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s portrait on the stage during an event to observe Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary has gone viral.
This provided ammo to the BJP, which has come to embrace Patel, an act described as the saffron party’s attempt to appropriate India’s first home minister into its nationalist agenda.
The 1.15-minute-long video shows Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar on the dais in the party's office in Bengaluru for Indira’s death anniversary on October 31, which is also Patel’s birthday. Their conversation got picked up by mics that were hot.
“Isn’t it Vallabhbhai Patel’s birthday today,” Siddaramaiah asks Shivakumar, even as the event was about to start. “It is, Sir, but that’s a birthday and this is [death anniversary]. We don’t keep their photos together,” Shivakumar responds.
To this, Siddaramaiah says: “But, you know what, BJP takes advantage of it.” Shivakumar acknowledges and repeats that it is not the party’s practice to keep Patel’s portrait next to Indira’s.
The video fast-forwards to show Shivakumar asking a party worker if Sardar Patel’s portrait is handy. “Get it now,” he says and supervises the placement of Patel’s portrait next to Indira’s.
Tweeting the video, BJP legislator and Chief Minister’s Political Secretary MP Renukacharya said: “The Congress showed respect to Patel only due to the fear of the BJP.”
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(Published 24 November 2021, 09:27 IST)
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