Power-thirsty can’t understand Gandhi’s ideals, says Sonia
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), saying those “thirsty for power and indulging in politics of falsehood” cannot understand Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of truth and selfless service. Addressing a gathering of Congress leaders and workers after paying tribute to the Father of the Nation on his 150th birth anniversary, she said it is “easy to take the name of Mahatma Gandhi but difficult to tread his path”.
“Some people are taking Gandhiji’s name, but at the same time trying to take the nation on their own path that is different from what the Father of the Nation had conceived,” Sonia Gandhi said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), saying those “thirsty for power and indulging in politics of falsehood” cannot understand Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of truth and selfless service.
Addressing a gathering of Congress leaders and workers after paying tributes to the Father of the Nation on his 150th birth anniversary, she said it is “easy to take the name of Mahatma Gandhi but difficult to tread his path”.
“Some people are taking Gandhiji’s name, but at the same time trying to take the nation on their own path that is different from what the Father of the Nation had conceived. His soul would be pained by what has been happening in India over the past few years,” Sonia Gandhi said.
The Congress has often accused the BJP of appropriating its political icons, including Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, for electoral mileage. It sought to reclaim the Father of the Nation’s legacy on his 150th birth anniversary.
Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, undertook a padayatra (march) in Delhi to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did the same in Lucknow.
The Congress chief also administered an oath to her party leaders and workers to “redeem Gandhi, Gandhism and Gandhi’s India”.
“How can those who pursue the politics of falsehood understand that Gandhiji was the worshipper of truth? How can those who can do anything for power understand that Gandhiji was a worshipper of nonviolence? How can those who are thirsty for power understand the meaning of Gandhiji’s Swaraj? Those who claim to be supreme at the first opportunity, how can they understand the value of selfless service of Gandhiji?” Sonia Gandhi said in a veiled attack on the BJP.