Cong demands PM’€™s apology for ‘twisting’ facts on Nehru: Kharge targets BJP

New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the country by “twisting facts” about Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s letter on reservation to states and demanded an apology.

Participating in a discussion on ‘Glorious Journey of 75 years of the Constitution of India’ in the Upper House, Kharge also accused the BJP leaders of indulging in ‘bhakti’ of Prime Minister Modi, asserting that it was leading the country towards dictatorship.

Kharge also said that it was because of the policies brought by the Congress that women reservation became a reality. He assured that if in power they would implement reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies faster than the BJP.

He alleged that the BJP was against reservation and that is why the party is against caste census.

During his 79-minute speech, he countered the BJP allegations that Congress party was against the Constitution while referring to the BJP’s promises as ‘jumlas’.

He claimed that before coming to power, the BJP had promised to give Rs 15 lakh in every bank account, 2 crore jobs every year, provide MSP and double farmers’ income.

Kharge countered Modi for a speech during which he had claimed there was no elected government between 1947-1952 when the Congress had illegally amended the Constitution.

The Congress President said the first amendment in the Constitution was done to provide reservation to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, fix problems related to education, employment and abolish Zamindari system.

He said it was done by the Constituent Assembly members which included Syama Prasad Mookerjee, one of the founders of Jana Sangh. He also said it was wrong to selectively quote Constituent Assembly members and mislead the people.

“I want to inform the House that the Supreme Court had rejected Madras state’s decision on reservation.”

He said that the other aspect of this amendment was to stop communal propaganda and Sardar Patel in a letter on July 3, 1950 had suggested to Nehru that constitutional amendment was the only remedy for this problem.

“Therefore, Nehru wrote a letter to chief ministers. This has been mentioned in PM’s speech after twisting facts to defame Nehru for which he should apologise to the nation. This is my demand.

“If you twist the facts before the nation and attempt to defame him, then you should apologise in this House and other House and before people of this country,” Kharge asserted.

He said the prime minister lives in the past and not in the present and it would have been better had he listed his present achievements that strengthened democracy, instead of harping on what happened in the past.

“PM lives either in the past or imaginary work. It seems that ‘present’ is not in his dictionary. It is better if he can tell us in 11 years how he has strengthened the Constitution and democracy,” the Leader of Opposition said.

“The ‘bhakti’ of the prime minister is taking the country towards dictatorship… democracy in the country should not turn into dictatorship,” Kharge warned.

Referring to the Emergency, Kharge said it was a mistake that was rectified and the result was that Indira Gandhi came back to power with a thumping majority in 1980.

On several Congress members quitting the party to join the BJP, he alleged that the ED and CBI machines were working towards it. “The BJP now has a ‘big washing machine’ which Amit Shah has brought. It is so big that a man can sit inside it and come out all cleaned up,” he said.

“We kept the country united, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel united 500 kingdoms in the country,” the Congress chief said adding, but the prime minister keeps on saying ‘ek hain to safe hain’ while trying to divide the country on religious and communal lines.

He said erstwhile leaders of the RSS were against the Constitution, the national flag as well as the Ashok Chakra.

“In 1949, the entire country knew that RSS leaders opposed the Constitution because it was not based on Manusmriti. RSS mouthpiece Organiser in the edition of November 30, 1949 had written about it,” he said.

He also claimed that it was only on January 26, 2002, after a court order that they became “helpless” and began to hoist the national flag at RSS headquarters.

Kharge said even when many powerful countries were not practising universal adult franchise, women and all sections of societies in India were given the right to vote during the Congress regime through the Constitution.

“Our constitution empowers everyone. It doesn’t discriminate against anyone on ground of caste,creed, sex etc, but the Constitution is under threat. We need to be alert to keep it safe for the coming generation.

He said that government leaders cut-paste information and present them as per their convenience to twist facts.

“Those who did not fight for the country, how will they know the importance of freedom, Constitution?” Kharge asked.

He said that the Organiser wrote against adult franchise in 1951-52 and today the BJP leaders are giving lessons on it.

“They hide good things about Nehruji, Gandhiji and other leaders,” he alleged.

He accused PM Modi of taking the views and opinion of Ambedkar and other leaders about Nehru selectively to show him in poor light. Kharge also raised the issue of Manipur, which is suffering from ethnic violence for the last one-and-half years. He said that the prime minister travels everywhere but has no time to visit the strife-torn state.