‘Treason’: Rahul, Kharge blast RSS chief for remark on India’s Independence
Bhagwat said the Ayodhya temple's consecration should be celebrated as "Pratishtha Dwadashi" as "true independence" of India was established on this day
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (January 15) accused Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat of committing treason for saying that India gained “true independence” only after the Ram temple opened in Ayodhya.
Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge too denounced Bhagwat and warned that the RSS leader will find it difficult to move around the country if he continues to make such statements.
‘Insult to every Indian’
Speaking after the inauguration of the new Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Rahul said Bhagwat’s remark was an insult to every Indian.
“Bhagwat has the audacity to say to the country what he thinks about the independence movement and the Constitution. What he said yesterday is treason,” Rahul said.
Also read: RSS chief terms Ram temple consecration 'true independence of Bharat'
“Because he is stating that the Constitution is invalid and the fight against the British was invalid. He has the audacity to say this publicly. In any other country, he would be arrested and tried. That is a fact," Rahul said.
BJP, RSS have captured institutions: Rahul
"To say that India did not get independence in 1947 is an insult to every Indian. And it is time to stop listening to this nonsense that these people think they can keep parroting out and shouting.”
Rahul also said that institutions have been captured by the ruling BJP and its ideological parent RSS, and that investigative agencies were being used against opposition leaders.
The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha also hit out at the Election Commission (EC) and alleged that there was a "serious problem" with the country's election system.
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Dig at Election Commission
He said the poll panel had refused to give information about the increase in the number of voters in Maharashtra from Lok Sabha elections to the Assembly elections.
"Why are they not giving us the list? It is the duty of the EC to ensure transparency in elections. If there is an increase of one crore (voters), it is the duty and sacred responsibility of the EC to show us exactly why this has happened," he said.
RSS didn’t fight for independence: Kharge
Addressing the same event, Kharge said that RSS people don't recall the independence of August 1947 as they did not fight for it.
“Those people who had nothing to do with independence and did not fight for it are making such statements,” he said.
“Modi believes that independence was achieved in 2014 when he became prime minister. RSS people believe that independence was established with the Ram Temple inauguration,” he added.
Also read: Uttar Pradesh: Ayodhya prepares for Ram Lalla consecration anniversary
RSS and 1947
“It is a matter of shame that even though we got independence in 1947 they are not acknowledging it because they did not struggle for it, go to jail, and therefore they do not remember. We remember because our people died for independence and struggled for it," he said.
Bhagwat said the date of Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya should be celebrated as "Pratishtha Dwadashi", as the "true independence" of Bharat, which faced "parachakra" (enemy attack) for several centuries, was established on this day.
Quoting BR Ambedkar, Kharge said that those who forget history cannot make history.
