Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 18 : The Congress hit out at Union Minister Pralhad Joshi for comparing Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, calling the remark a sign of "political shortsightedness" and "ignorance of history."
In a sharp statement, Congress leaders said Joshi's comment equating Rahul Gandhi with Jinnah, "who pushed the nation into the catastrophe of Partition," runs counter to democratic values.
"The legacy of sacrificing blood, sweat, and lives for the unity, integrity, and freedom of this country belongs to the Indian National Congress. Thousands of Congress workers have gone to jail and laid down their lives for the nation," the party said. "By comparing leaders of that same Congress to Jinnah, BJP leaders have exposed their political bankruptcy."
The Congress also questioned Joshi's grasp of his own party's history.
"Has Joshi forgotten the coalition government run by Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the Jana Sangh, alongside the Muslim League in undivided Bengal? Does he not recall L.K. Advani's statement describing Jinnah as a 'secular leader'? History records that several BJP figures have expressed soft stances on Jinnah," the statement read.
Accusing the BJP of cherry-picking history, Congress said, "For the BJP, the truth is intolerable. Leaders who hand out certificates of patriotism to attack the Congress should first study the history of their own ideological roots."
The party alleged that the BJP was raising "irrelevant and provocative" issues to divert public attention from unemployment, price rise, farmers' distress, and economic instability.
"Rahul Gandhi practices politics that unites the people of the country. But the BJP has turned into a factory that divides society by caste, religion, and hatred, especially ahead of elections," the Congress said.
It added that Central Minister Pralhad Joshi should "first read the history of India's freedom struggle. If that is too difficult, he should at least study the BJP's own political origins. Only then will the philosophical and sacrificial difference between Congress and BJP become clear."
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