‘No difference between Modi regime and the British Raj’
@the_news_21
Pune: Launching a scathing attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Nana Patole on Sunday accused the BJP of distorting history and at the same time remarked that Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had become a “BJP stooge” and the Governors official residence, the Raj Bhavan had become a virtual office for the party.
He further lashed out at the Modi regime for severely curtailing the freedom of the press, claiming that the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had extended a lot of freedom towards the fourth estate despite getting flak from it in the alleged Bofors Gun scandal.
“Recently, state Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari commented that it was Jawaharlal Nehru who was responsible for Partition in 1947…ordinarily, if one were to talk of Pandit Nehru’s towering contributions in building the modern Indian nation, even ten days would be less. But when the Governor of a state, who is supposed to be the holder of an impartial office, says such a thing, it is truly shameful…the Governor is behaving like he is a BJP agent and his residence is functioning like a veritable BJP office,” remarked Patole.
He was speaking in Pune at the historic Kesari Wada on occasion of the launch of a series of programmes to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee year of Independence and the Congress’ pivotal role in the freedom struggle. The fortnight-long event, titled Vyarth na ho Balidan (Sacrifice should not go in vain), has been designed by the Maharashtra Congress with the object of raising awareness of the Congress’ role in Independence while simultaneously reviving the party’s sagging fortunes at the civic and at the regional level.
Patole said that when Bal Gangadhar ‘Lokmanya’ Tilak was charged with sedition and later arrested for criticizing the British rule through his newspaper Kesari (which he ran from Kesari Wada), he was speaking out against the alien oppression.
“But now, an Indian government (Modi government) clamps down on the country’s journalists for voicing dissent. Look what happened to the Dainik Bhaskar media group…the Modi government conducts surveillance on any journalist who criticizes the government. That person is subsequently investigated and even accused of ‘seditious behaviour’,” Patole said, adding there was no difference between the Modi government and the British Raj.
He said that late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had empowered the press, but had been severely criticized for his conduct in the alleged Bofors scandal.
“The press has a right to criticize whosoever is in power…Rajiv Gandhi had given the press its freedom, but Modi has curtailed it. At the time of the alleged scam, the BJP had vehemently criticized Gandhi…but when the party under Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s leadership won the Kargil War, let us not forget that the Army top brass had attributed the victory to the firepower of these very same Bofors guns,” said the MPCC chief.
He said that the Prime Minister and the defence minister preferred to keep mum on China’s aggression and refused to answer sensitive questions from journalists pertaining to the conduct of our foreign policy.
Asserting that the Modi regime was destroying the country’s pluralist social fabric while utterly undermining its democratic values, Patole said: “I was in Srinagar recently when a Muslim UPSC topper told me frankly that he was being discriminated by the Centre on the basis of his religion. I was shocked…The Modi government has no right to talk of democracy.”
Hence, Patole said, the Congress had launched this campaign to make the younger generations aware of the sacrifices of thousands of youths and great leaders of the Congress which culminated in Independence.
Commenting on the nature of the 15-day programme, Pune City Congress (PCC) secretary and spokesperson Ramesh Iyer said that events would take place at district level across the State.
“The aim is to enlighten youngsters and counter the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) false propaganda…to this end, we have put up hoardings across the city highlighting seminal historical events where Congress leaders played a central part,” he said. Iyer informed that a torch rally would be held on August 9 to commemorate the ‘Quit India’ movement of 1942 which was launched on that day.
“Narayan Dabhade, a 16-year-old boy, who attempted to hoist the tricolour in historic Congress Bhavan in Pune had been shot dead by the police then in 1942. So, on August 9 next week, we are going to recreate the same scene as part of our cultural programmes. Besides, there will be a short film contest, while a film will be telecast depicting the various agitations of the Congress along with a photo exhibition,” informed Iyer.
