The Congress on Tuesday wrote to BJP president and Union Minister JP Nadda over the recent comments made by IT cell chief Amit Malviya “invoking the assassinations of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi”.
In a purported video of a TV debate, Malviya was heard saying: “First of all. What we saw in America is very disconcerting and the assassination bid on Donald Trump’s life is a rude awakening for world leaders across… Now let’s come to India. Has Prime Minister Modi been targeted in the past? Have there been attempts on his life? The answer is yes. In 2013 at a rally in Patna, several bombs went off…”
“Before the Congress claims that their own leaders have got assassinated, I want to remind them that they were
assassinated for political decisions that they took. But even Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s convoy was stoned on several occasions. There have been very unpopular incidents that happened with both Indira and Rajiv. We condemn that. But the progeny of the Gandhis today is actually wishing death and assault on Prime Minister Modi,” says Malviya.
Taking strong objection to the remarks, Congress General Secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the comments “are not only deeply insensitive but also represent a disturbing effort to trivialise tragic historical events for narrow political gains”. The Congress demanded an apology and that Malviya be sacked from his party post.
“Such remarks not only disrespect the memory of our esteemed leaders but also set a deplorable precedent for political discourse in our nation,” said Ramesh in his letter.
The letter read that as the BJP “continues to rewrite and disrespect our history, it is crucial to remind you of the immense contributions of both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi to our nation-building efforts”.
“It is also imperative to bring to your attention the tragic assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, a global symbol of peace and the Father of our nation, who was killed by the same ideology of hate and divisiveness espoused by the organisation that forms the ideological compass and philosophical guide of the BJP,” said Ramesh.
Ramesh said, “it is imperative the BJP leadership, including the PM, unequivocally disavow Malviya’s reprehensible comments”.
