Bengaluru: Coming down heavily on the ruling BJP leaders for holding country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru responsible for partition of the country, Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday said Nehru strived to build modern India., and it was Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Mountbatten who partitioned India.
Addressing the media after hoisting the flag, Siddaramaiah said, “Jinnah created Muslim league and demanded for a separate nation. Mountbatten approved his demand. How could Nehru be held responsible for partition of India,” Siddaramaiah questioned.
People should not be given wrong information. Let them know the history. There is an RSS hidden agenda behind this. They (BJP government) say that Nehru’s photo was deliberately not published in full page advertisements released to media and other platforms. “Have they (RSS leaders) participated in the freedom movement?” he questioned.
“BJP is pursuing the politics of hatred in the nation and it has come out in open that this is the hidden agenda of RSS. Nehru participated in the freedom movement and went to prison,” he said.
“Did Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai participate in the freedom movement? BJP leaders Ravikumar, K.S. Eshwarappa had gone to jail after taking part in the independence struggle?” Siddaramaiah said.
“Dropping Nehru’s photo from the list of freedom fighters is an insult to the whole fraternity of freedom fighters.
“These leaders (BJP) do not know history. They only know distorting history. The first Prime Minister of India Nehru has been insulted. This is not only an insult to Nehru but it is an insult to the nation.
“This is an insult inflicted on the BJP by its own leaders. Veer Savarkar stated that he wouldn’t participate in the freedom struggle and gave it in writing to the British. BJP respects such personalities,” he said.
The advertisement poster of freedom fighters released by the Karnataka government omitting the photo of the country’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and including Vinayak Savarkar in government advertisement has triggered the row.
Pandit Nehru’s contributions to the country were remembered by the Congress leaders on the flag hoisting platform. The photos of Nehru hoisting the Tricolor for the first time after Independence at the Red Fort were displayed and highlighted.
—IANS