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‘Nobody can…’: Priyanka Chaturvedi on Savarkar's role in freedom struggle
Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "You can hate or ignore Mahatma Gandhi and give attention to Godse all you want, never forget that our country runs on the energy and principles of Mahatma Gandhi.”
While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress engaged in a verbal tussle on Independence Day on Monday on the role of leaders of the past in the freedom struggle, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said nobody can ignore the role of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in India’s freedom struggle, but added that India runs on the energy and principles of Mahatma Gandhi.
“Nobody can ignore the role of Savarkar in India’s freedom struggle... At present, we need to avoid depicting someone as inferior or superior, every contribution by different freedom fighters played a significant role in independence,” news agency ANI quoted Chaturvedi as saying.
On Gandhi's ideology, she said, “You can hate or ignore Mahatma Gandhi & give attention to Godse all you want, never forget that our country runs on the energy and principles of Mahatma Gandhi. If PM Modi mentioned Gandhi's name, I hope he follows the path of Gandhi, too.”
Her statement came even as Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi took a jibe at the government in her Independence Day wish, a day after a row erupted after BJP dropped Nehru from its Har Ghar Tiranga advertisement in Karnataka.
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"Congress will not accept any wrong portrayal of historical facts for political gains nor will it allow any insult to Gandhi-Nehru-Patel-Azad based on falsehoods," Sonia Gandhi said.
In Goa, Congress chief Amit Patkar said his party had contributed immensely to the freedom struggle, BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said it was not right of the former to use images of Gandhiji, BR Ambedkar and Sardar Patel to "propagate political aims".
Patkar said, "The Congress contributed immensely in the development, progress and prosperity of the country. The Congress is a movement that fought for the freedom of India." The party's contribution under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri and others was the "eternal truth" and no one would be able to tarnish it by creating false narratives, Patkar added.
Hitting back, BJP's Tanavade said the Congress had used the image of Gandhiji along with the party symbol on posters, adding that the party was using even an auspicious occasion like Independence Day to "advertise".
