Ahmedabad: Drafting a special resolution for the AICC session which showcased Sardar Patel as an epitome of secularism and antithetical to RSS-BJP under which the country is slipping into “an abyss of hatred”, Congress Tuesday took a strong symbolic step to reclaim its stalwart from BJP mascot Narendra Modi who has made the Sardar the driving force behind his politics.
The resolution adopted by the Congress Working Committee detailed Patel’s association with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called as “two sides of the same coin”, and underlined that Patel was vehemently opposed to the majoritarian ideology and banned the RSS in 1948 after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. The party resolution further painted Patel’s espousal of farmers’ and workers’ cause and alleged Modi govt’s opposition to the farmers’ agitation and its “trampling” upon the workers’ rights.
The CWC also discussed a resolution on Gujarat’s politics and the prevailing political, social and economic scenario in the state which will be discussed and ratified at the AICC session on Wednesday, party leaders said.
As part of its ongoing effort to find a political antidote to the Modi-led BJP, Congress is now spotlighting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Gujarat’s son of the soil, during the Ahmedabad session.
Targeting the BJP and RSS, the resolution stated that violence and communalism are pushing the country into an “abyss of hatred” based on divisions of religious polarisation. “Once again, Congress is determined to emulate the resoluteness of ‘Iron Man’ Sardar Patel by fighting the frenzy of religious polarization,” said the resolution titled ‘Flag-bearer of Freedom Movement – Our Sardar’.
The resolution stated the ideology of “make-believe confrontation” and “mischievously professed division” had led to the spread of a deliberate web of lies about conflicts between Patel and Nehru. “In reality, it was an attack on the very ethos of our freedom struggle and the inseparable leadership of Gandhi-Nehru-Patel,” it adds.
Quoting from a letter written by Patel to Nehru on Aug 3, 1947, the resolution stated, “Our attachment and affection for each other and our comradeship for an unbroken period of nearly 30 years admit of no formalities… Our combination is unbreakable and therein lies our strength.”
In his address at the CWC, Kharge said the RSS and BJP are trying to “usurp Patel’s legacy under a well-planned conspiracy.” Stating that Patel’s ideology was contrary to the ideas of the RSS, and he had even banned the organization, the Congress chief said, “But it is laughable that today the people of that organization claim Sardar Patel’s legacy.” AICC general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh said, “Patel and Nehru shared a unique bond and the resolution will expose those who are spreading lies about them being adversaries.”
The resolution adopted by the Congress Working Committee detailed Patel’s association with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called as “two sides of the same coin”, and underlined that Patel was vehemently opposed to the majoritarian ideology and banned the RSS in 1948 after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. The party resolution further painted Patel’s espousal of farmers’ and workers’ cause and alleged Modi govt’s opposition to the farmers’ agitation and its “trampling” upon the workers’ rights.
The CWC also discussed a resolution on Gujarat’s politics and the prevailing political, social and economic scenario in the state which will be discussed and ratified at the AICC session on Wednesday, party leaders said.
As part of its ongoing effort to find a political antidote to the Modi-led BJP, Congress is now spotlighting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Gujarat’s son of the soil, during the Ahmedabad session.
Targeting the BJP and RSS, the resolution stated that violence and communalism are pushing the country into an “abyss of hatred” based on divisions of religious polarisation. “Once again, Congress is determined to emulate the resoluteness of ‘Iron Man’ Sardar Patel by fighting the frenzy of religious polarization,” said the resolution titled ‘Flag-bearer of Freedom Movement – Our Sardar’.
The resolution stated the ideology of “make-believe confrontation” and “mischievously professed division” had led to the spread of a deliberate web of lies about conflicts between Patel and Nehru. “In reality, it was an attack on the very ethos of our freedom struggle and the inseparable leadership of Gandhi-Nehru-Patel,” it adds.
Quoting from a letter written by Patel to Nehru on Aug 3, 1947, the resolution stated, “Our attachment and affection for each other and our comradeship for an unbroken period of nearly 30 years admit of no formalities… Our combination is unbreakable and therein lies our strength.”
In his address at the CWC, Kharge said the RSS and BJP are trying to “usurp Patel’s legacy under a well-planned conspiracy.” Stating that Patel’s ideology was contrary to the ideas of the RSS, and he had even banned the organization, the Congress chief said, “But it is laughable that today the people of that organization claim Sardar Patel’s legacy.” AICC general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh said, “Patel and Nehru shared a unique bond and the resolution will expose those who are spreading lies about them being adversaries.”