Cong works to poison Ganga-Jamuni culture across country: Dilip Jaiswal backs Gadkari

Patna, Dec 24 As Union Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that Hindu-Muslim-related issues persisting in the country are the result of the Congress party’s interpretation of secularism and its vote bank politics, Bihar Minister Dilip Jaiswal on Wednesday came out in strong support of his remarks, alleging that the Congress has consistently worked to poison the Ganga-Jamuni culture across the nation.

Speaking to IANS, Jaiswal said that the Congress has followed a policy of appeasement since Independence.

“The Congress has continuously practised appeasement politics since the time of Independence. Even during the Partition of the country, Congress leaders played a major role in dividing the nation,” he added.

The Bihar minister further claimed that the party continues to harm India’s social fabric even today.

“Even now, the Congress works to poison the Ganga-Jamuni culture across the country. It has always tried to instil fear among minority communities, especially the Muslim community, and keep them separated from the BJP,” he told IANS.

Jaiswal also accused the Congress of following the colonial strategy of division.

“The Congress has always believed in the British policy of ‘divide and rule’. However, the country has now understood all this. This is the reason why saffron ideology has progressed across the country today,” he added.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari was speaking on Tuesday in New Delhi at the launch of the book ‘Sanatan Sanskriti Ki Atal Drishti’, authored by Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Professor Vasudev Devnani. Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan was also present at the event.

During his address, Gadkari said that secularism should not be misunderstood as appeasement of any one community. He explained that the true meaning of secularism is ‘Sarva Dharma Sambhav’, which stands for equal respect for all religions, justice for all, and equal treatment of every citizen.

Reiterating the views once expressed by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Gadkari said, “India is a secular country. It was secular and it will remain secular.” He emphasised that this tradition does not stem from any political ideology but from India’s civilisational ethos.

“This is not because of the BJP or RSS. It is because of Bharatiya Sanskriti, Hindu Sanskriti and Sanatan Sanskriti, which teaches us to wish for the welfare of the entire world,” Gadkari said. In a veiled swipe at the Nehru-Gandhi family, he added that Indian culture speaks of collective well-being rather than individual or familial gain.

”It’s not because of the BJP-RSS. It’s because of Bharatiya ’sanskriti’, Hindu sanskriti and Sanatan sanskriti in which we say ’vishwa ka kalyan ho’ (may the world be blessed),” he said.

"We never say ’mera kalyan ho, mere parivaar ka kalyan ho (may I be blessed, my family be blessed),” Gadkari said in a veiled swipe at the Nehru-Gandhi family.

"Our culture is not communal or casteist. On the contrary, Hindutva is compassionate, tolerant and all-encompassing,” he said.

Gadkari further said that there is no record in the entire history of any Hindu king having destroyed others’ religious places of worship.

”It is because it is not our culture, not in our genetics… We are not ’adhikarvaadi (authoritarian)’ or ’vistarvaadi (expansionist)’,” he said.

"Unfortunately, Bharatiya and Sanatan sanskriti and its history were ”grossly misinterpreted” and some of ”our own people” also contributed to it, he said.

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