BENGALURU: Hitting out at the Congress, the BJP accused the Grand Old Party of spending public money to commemorate the centenary of the 1924 Congress session in Belagavi.
The saffron party said that it will be holding a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Vidhana Soudha premises at 10.30 am on Friday to protest this. The saffron party further said that the “nakli (fake) Congress” convention was organised by “fake Gandhis”.
Meanwhile, state JDS president and Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy also launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that “fake Gandhis were flaunting themselves in Belagavi at the expense of taxpayers’ money.”
As the Congress named the Friday rally as the Jai Bapu-Jai Bhim-Jai Samvidhan convention, the BJP took strong exception to the party using the names of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr BR Ambedkar.
“What is in the country and the state is not the genuine Congress... it is a fake Congress,” said state BJP chief and Shikaripura MLA BY Vijayendra.
Addressing the media, Vijayendra said that the Congress that threw away the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar does not have the morality to take their names.
He further alleged that Congress has no commitment to the integrity of the country as it has been dividing the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has developed five important places related to Ambedkar as Panchatheertha, he added.
“It is not right for the Congress to use taxpayers’ money to conduct its convention. We will hold a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue against this policy of the fake Congress and to oppose its convention in Belagavi,” he added.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka said that the Congress did not pay heed to Mahatma Gandhi even as he had advised the dissolution of the party after independence. “Fake Gandhis are leading the Congress now and are now holding a convention in Belagavi. Gandhiji was very simple.
But Congress leaders are leading a flamboyant life. PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, and opposition MPs were ignored as only Congress leaders were invited.
This is not a government programme, but a Congress event,” he said. “If we show a picture of a united India, the Congress is showing a picture of India without Jammu and Kashmir. It is condemnable that the map of India has been distorted... this only shows the Congress’ mentality of dividing the country,” he alleged.
“Babasaheb Ambedkar was never a Congress leader. He opposed the Congress and stood against the then government. He started his own party and contested elections. But Jawaharlal Nehru ensured his defeat. Now, the Congress leaders are staging protests (over Amit Shah’s remarks on Dr Ambedkar),” the BJP leader said.