Rahul pays homage to Vajpayee, other former PMs
Rahul Gandhi’s gesture of paying tribute to Vajpayee, who led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but was widely respected across political lines, was his own idea, a party strategist said
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid tributes to late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his samadhi on Monday and also visited the memorials of former prime ministers Charan Singh, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, apart from that of the Father of the Nation, Mahatama Gandhi, as the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is on a nine-day break in the national capital.
Gandhi’s gesture of paying tribute to Vajpayee, who led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but was widely respected across political lines, was his own idea, a party strategist said, adding that the message was of amity and not an attempt to “hijack” the legacy of leaders of other parties.
“People are asking why did he go to Atal ji’s samadhi? He also visited visited Chaudhary Charan Singh’s samadhi, (Lal Bahadur) Shastri’s samadhi, Rajghat, Nehru, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi’s Samadhi,” said Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate.
“The Bharat Jodo Yatra is a form of penance and when you do penance, you try to unite everyone,” she added.
One of Gandhi’s trusted lieutenants added that Gandhi’s visit showed he doesn’t believe in political discrimination. Another leader added that unlike the current regime that tries to vilify Jawaharlal Nehru, Vajpayee, on the other hand, had been a great admirer of Nehru. In the Lok Sabha, Vajpayee had once narrated how he reinstated Nehru’s portrait in South Block after the Janata Party government came to power in 1977, this leader said.
Congress leader Pawan Khera ruled out any attempt to hijack Vajpayee’s legacy. “Why should we hijack leaders of other parties when we have our own heros. We are very proud of the long list of heroes we have,” he said.
The 3,570km cross-country march began on September 7 from Kanyakumari, and has already covered parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
Hitting out at Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said Vajpayee was an epitome of honesty and a messenger of peace, while Rahul Gandhi was involved in “defaming” India and “spreading hatred”.
“Atal ji is an epitome of honesty, dedication to the nation & a messenger of peace. Rahul Gandhi at ‘Sadaiv Atal’ is corruption kneeling before honesty. The question is whether he has walked the path taught by him. From defaming India, supporting ‘tukde tukde’ gang Rahul Gandhi only spreads hatred,” Bhatia tweeted.