Kharge warns Bhagwat for comments on India's independence, Rahul slams too

Speaking at an event in Indore, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that India achieved its 'true independence' on the day of the consecration of the Ayodhya Ram Temple

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday slammed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat for his recent statement on India’s independence. Kharge warned Bhagwat that such statements make it difficult for him to move around the country, according to a report by PTI. 

 

Speaking at an event in Indore on Monday, Bhagwat had said that India achieved its “true independence” on the day of the consecration of the Ayodhya Ram Temple. He said that the day should be celebrated as ‘Pratishtha Dwadashi’. Bhagwat, in his speech, claimed the Ram Temple movement was about awakening India’s identity and not opposing anyone. 

 

Kharge, during the inauguration of the Congress party’s new headquarters ‘Indira Bhawan’, on Kotla Road in Delhi today, objected to Bhagwat’s comments. He accused the RSS of disregarding India’s independence in 1947. “I read the statement by the RSS chief. He said real independence was established with the inauguration of the Ram Temple. He had inaugurated the temple along with (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi...Modi believes that independence was achieved in 2014 when he became PM," news agency PTI quoted the Congress chief as saying.

 

“RSS people don’t remember 1947 because they didn’t fight for it. Our people died and struggled for independence; that’s why we remember it”, he said. Kharge further warned Bhagwat against making such statements, saying, “It will become difficult for him to move around the country if he keeps giving such remarks.”

Rahul says it’s a ‘treason’

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also condemned Bhagwat’s statement, calling it “treason”. Gandhi said, “Mohan Bhagwat has the audacity to inform the nation every 2-3 days what he thinks about the independence movement, Constitution. What he said yesterday is treason because it is stating that the Constitution is invalid, and fighting against the British was invalid.”

 

Gandhi said, making such a remark in any other country would have led to his arrest and trial. He said, “To say that India didn’t get independence in 1947 is an insult to every citizen. If someone made such a statement in another country, they would face arrest and trial.” He further said that the RSS chief’s remarks undermine the Constitution and the sacrifices made during the freedom struggle.

 

Bhagwat’s comments faced backlash from other opposition leaders too, including Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who urged Bhagwat to avoid politicising Lord Ram’s name.