The Congress on Tuesday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership “unequivocally disavow” BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya’s remark that Congress leaders were assassinated for their political decisions, maintaining that this amounts to justifying their killings.
In a letter to BJP president J.P. Nadda, AICC general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh also demanded that Malviya be sacked.
“I write with deep concern and profound dismay regarding the recent remarks made by Mr Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell. His comments invoking the assassinations of former Prime Ministers Smt. Indira Gandhi and Sh. Rajiv Gandhi are not only deeply insensitive but also represent a disturbing effort to trivialise tragic historical events for narrow political gains. Such remarks not only disrespect the memory of our esteemed leaders but also set a deplorable precedent for political discourse in our nation,” Ramesh said.
Further, according to the Congress MP, “if the BJP truly respects our nation’s history and its leaders, I urge you to promptly remove Mr Malviya from his position and issue an unreserved apology to the people of India”.
During a TV debate on Monday evening on the assassination bid on former US President Donald Trump, the BJP IT cell head had accused leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of encouraging violence against Modi. That the liberal/secular side of Indian and American polity has been encouraging violence with their political rhetoric against the likes of Trump and Modi has been the refrain of the Right wing/conservatives in India and the US since the assassination attempt.
Malviya further said that before the Congress claims that its leaders were assassinated, “I want to remind them that they were assassinated for political decisions they took”. This, according to many in the Congress ecosystem, was tantamount to justifying the assassinations of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
In his letter, Ramesh sought to remind the BJP of the contributions made by the assassinated leaders.
“As your party continues to rewrite and disrespect our history, it is crucial to remind you of the immense contributions of both Indira Gandhi ji and Rajiv Gandhi ji to our nation-building efforts. Indira Gandhi, revered as the Iron Lady, played a pivotal role in securing our nation’s integrity during challenging times. Rajiv Gandhi spearheaded the IT revolution and initiated crucial peace accords that brought stability to regions plagued by conflict.
“The violent assassinations of these leaders are among the darkest chapters in our nation’s history... 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.”
