Following Mohan Bhagwat’s statement calling the Ram Mandir’s ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony the “true independence of India,” Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, strongly criticized the RSS chief.
On Wednesday, January 15, the Congress leader urged the public to “stop listening to the nonsense” and labelled Bhagwat’s comments as an “act of treason.”
Addressing party workers after the inauguration of the new Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan, “Mohan Bhagwat’s audacious comment that India didn’t gain true independence in 1947 is an insult to our freedom fighters, every single Indian citizen and an attack on our Constitution.”
He added, “What he (Bhagwat) said yesterday is treason because he stated that the Constitution is invalid, fight against the British was invalid. He has the audacity to say this publicly. In any other country, he would be arrested and tried.”
Earlier this week, Mohan Bhagwat sparked controversy by claiming that India achieved “true independence” on the consecration day of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He further suggested that the day be observed as ‘Pratishtha Dwadashi.’
The Congress MP also did not spare the BJP, whose ideological mentor is the RSS, accusing it of insulting the tricolour and the Constitution.
“Do not think we are fighting a fair fight. If you believe we are fighting against a political organization called BJP and RSS, they have captured almost every institution in our country. We are now fighting not just the BJP and RSS, but the Indian state itself,” the Congress MP further said.
The Congress party inaugurated its new national headquarters at 9A, Kotla Road, marking a shift from its previous location at 24, Akbar Road, where it had been based for over 50 years.
