BJP-led Centre blindly following 'obscurantist' agenda set by RSS: Congress

The Congress Party on Tuesday condemned the 'barbaric and inhuman attack' on journalists, students and teachers in the Patiala House Court and accused the BJP-led Centre of blindly following obscurantist agenda set by the RSS.

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A statement released by Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "Indian National Congress strongly condemns the barbaric and inhuman attack in Patiala House Court yesterday on journalists, young students and teachers by the BJP goons led by their MLA, O.P. Sharma."

"Prime Minister Modi and his government have abdicated the responsibility of governance. They are blindly following the obscurantist agenda set by their masters i.e. the RSS," the statement added.

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The Congress also accused the Delhi police of remaining a mute spectator when students, teachers and journalists were assaulted and thrashed with impunity, inside the court rooms, in the court complex and outside it.

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The grand old party also condemned the 'culture of violence and hooliganism' unleashed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi government.

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"The BJP is muzzling the voice of India's youth, students, teachers, journalists, opposition and every individual organization that questions subjugation of disagreement or paralysis of governance. All such individuals or organizations are conveniently targeted by calling them 'anti-national' or 'naxalites'," the statement said.

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The grand old party, in its statement, also recalled the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) protests and the IIT Madras events, where the protesting students were called 'naxals'.

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"May we remind that the same pattern was adopted during FTII protests, when the protesting students were called 'naxals'. Students of 'Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle' in IIT Madras were banned merely because they dared to criticize Narendra Modi. Students like Rohith Vemula and others were systematically persecuted on the campus of Hyderabad Central University and called 'anti-nationals' and 'naxalites'," it said.

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The statement also said that instead of taking action against those responsible for shouting anti-India slogans on the JNU campus, identical pattern was being repeated by branding the entire university as 'anti-national'.

"Truth is that government is hell-bent upon destroying the autonomy of all premier educational institutions as also the spirit of students to ideate, debate, express and disagree. The events being played out at the JNU by the BJP and its related organisations are a mere ploy to divert attention from paralysis of governance and grave economic crisis that the country is facing," read the statement.

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Attacking the BJP and the RSS, the Congress Party said, "It does not need lessons in patriotism from those who are successors of 'Godse', those who sided with the British in the freedom struggle; those who did not even choose to fly the National Flag at their Nagpur headquarter for 52 years after Independence; those who released dreaded terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar and others in Kandahar, Afghanistan' those in whose government terrorists reached and attacked the final temple of democracy i.e. Indian Parliament and those whose quest for propagation of personal leadership led to terrorist incidents like Dinanagar, Udhampur and recently Pathankot."

"It is about time that the Modi government stop hoodwinking people of India and stop suppressing the freedom of expression, right to debate, to ideate and criticize on part of the young and students of India," the statement added.