The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at BJP-RSS leaders on Martyrs' Day, saying there are people at the apex of the ruling establishment who reject Mahatma Gandhi's sacrifices and claim India became free only on January 22, 2024.

The opposition party also asserted that the survival of the very idea of India depends on protecting and preserving the Father of the Nation's legacy.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his Martyrdom Day.

"The greatest help you can give me is to banish fear from your hearts' ~ Mahatma Gandhi. On Martyrs' Day, we pay our deepest respects to Bapu -- the guiding light of our nation. His ideas of Satya, Ahimsa, Sarvodaya and Sarvadharma Sambhava continue to light our path," Kharge said.

"We must commit to fighting against those who want to destroy his ideals of equality and upliftment for all. Let's protect India's unity in diversity and ensure justice and equality for everyone," the Congress chief said.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, "Gandhiji was not just a person, he is the soul of India, and is still alive in every Indian." "The power of truth, non-violence and fearlessness can shake the roots of even the biggest empires -- the whole world takes inspiration from these ideals. Hundreds of salutes to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma, our Bapu on his Martyrdom Day," Gandhi said in his post on X in Hindi.

Kharge and Rahul Gandhi also paid floral tributes to the Mahatma at Gandhi smriti here.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary-in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Today, 77 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. Nathuram Godse was the man who pumped the bullets into Bapu's body but there was an ideology and there were ideologues who created the toxic environment that led to the murder of the Father of the Nation." Today, there are ruling party MPs who when asked to choose between Gandhi and Godse say they have to think, Ramesh said.

"Today, there are also those occupying powerful positions of power who have mocked Gandhi ji, just as they have mocked Dr. Ambedkar," he said.

"Today, there are people at the apex of the ruling establishment who reject Gandhiji's sacrifices and claim India became free only on January 22, 2024," he said.

His remarks were in apparent reference to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's comments that India's "true independence" was established the day the Ram temple in Ayodhya was consecrated.

Ramesh said today, there are those who appropriate Gandhi's spectacles and walking stick for projecting themselves but who are destroying Gandhian institutions across the country.

"It is now more than essential to protect, preserve, and promote Mahatma Gandhi's legacy. The survival of the very idea of India depends on it," Ramesh asserted.

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