New Delhi, July 16, 2024
Congress on Tuesday urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J. P. Nadda to remove party’s IT Cell Head Amit Malviya from his position for his remarks on the Late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
“It is imperative that the BJP leadership, including the Prime Minister, unequivocally disavow Malviya’s reprehensible comments. If the BJP truly respects our nation’s history and its leaders, I urge you to promptly remove Malviya from his position and issue an unreserved apology to the people of India,” Congress MP Jairam Ramesh wrote to BJP President Nadda.
Earlier, Amit Malviya said that the Late Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi were assassinated “for the political decisions they took”.
“Before the Congress claims that their own leaders have got assassinated, I want to remind them that they were assassinated for political decisions that they took,” Malviya said in a news debate during a discussion on the assassination attempt on Republican US Presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Jairam Ramesh said that Malviya’s comments invoking the assassinations of Late Prime Ministers 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,” the Congress MP said.
He said that as the BJP continues to “rewrite” and “disrespect” India’s history, it’s crucial to remind the party of the immense contributions of both the Prime Minister in the nation-building efforts.
“Indira Gandhi, revered as the Iron Lady, played a pivotal role in securing our nation’s integrity during challenging times while Rajiv Gandhi spearheaded the IT revolution and initiated crucial peace accords that brought stability to regions plagued by conflict,” Ramesh said.
He said that the violent assassinations of these leaders are among the darkest chapters in the nation’s history and any attempt to diminish their legacy is unacceptable and will be firmly opposed.
“The tragic assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, a global symbol of peace and the father of our nation, 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. On the other hand, Congress, since its inception, has upheld the principles of truth and non-violence,” Jairam Ramesh wrote.
The Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her bodyguards in 1984 while her son and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a suicide bombing in 1991.(Agency)
