Mumbai, August 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshvardhan Sapkal has criticised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over their ongoing Tiranga Yatra, alleging that the RSS had opposed the national flag for decades.
Speaking to the media after a Congress core committee meeting, Sapkal claimed that the RSS had considered the Tricolour inauspicious and had played no role in the freedom movement. He further alleged that the organisation did not hoist the national flag at its offices for 50-55 years after Independence.
“If they have now developed a love for the tricolour, that is certainly welcome; better late than never. However, there should not be any ulterior motive behind this on the part of the BJP and RSS,” Sapkal said.
He also accused the BJP-led government of failing to address inflation, farmers’ concerns, unemployment, corruption and law-and-order issues. According to Sapkal, caste and religious issues were being used to divert public attention, with the BJP following a “divide and rule” strategy.
He said the Congress would intensify its agitation to hold the BJP-Mahayuti government accountable.
On the protest by BJP MPs in Parliament over the police action against student protesters in Jharkhand, Sapkal called it “laughable”. He alleged that students protesting over paper leaks at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere had faced lathi-charges, pellet guns and police cases, while female protesters were treated badly.
“BJP MPs should have staged such a protest at that time,” he said.
Sapkal said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had condemned the lathi-charge in Jharkhand and described him as “not a leader who runs away, but a leader who fights”.
He claimed the Opposition had repeatedly sought a parliamentary discussion on the issue but alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were unwilling to participate.
Taking a swipe at BJP MP Ashok Chavan, who had accused Gandhi of running away, Sapkal said Chavan was the one who had “run away” from the Congress.
FOLLOW NOW
