RSS is not ISI but a band of patriots, says Gadkari

RSS is not Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency but a band of patriots, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday as he hit out at the Congress for “behaving like a fish without water after being out of power”.

RSS is not Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency but a band of patriots, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday as he hit out at the Congress for “behaving like a fish without water after being out of power”.

File photo of Union minister Nitin Gadkari as he arrives for the Winter Session of Parliament in New Delhi.(Ajay Aggarwal/HT Photo)

Asking Congress to indulge in politics within the limits of decency, the former BJP chief said the Opposition was trying to portray Prime Minister Modi as a “villain”.

“I am a complete RSS worker. I have done struggle... I left studies... went to jail for nation’s cause, PM has been pracharak of RSS... We are patriots... Is it a violation of Constitution or criminal procedure code if someone is of RSS?” Gadkari fumed after Congress leader and former law minister Ashwani Kumar accused BJP of indulging in divisive politics in the country.

“RSS koi ISI organisation hai kya? (Is RSS an organisation like ISI?)... We take pride in it. Congress is behaving like a fish without water after being out of power,” the senior BJP leader said, speaking at the programme ‘Agenda Aaj Tak: Vikas ka Express Way’ in New Delhi.

Gadkari said the opposition was all out trying to portray the PM as a “villain” to fulfil their political aspirations.

He said the Congress insulted the judicial system when its vice-president alleged that the court order in the National Herald case was due to pressure from Prime Minister Modi.

Questioning the rationale behind stalling Parliament over the National Herald case, Gadkari said the court decision was independent and politics should not stoop to such a level where the PM is being dragged into controversy.

“Indulge in politics within the limits of decency... Allow Parliament to run,” he said, adding that the NDA government at the Centre was working for all sections of the society without any discrimination.

“But the opposition is instilling fear among Muslims, minorities and Dalits to pursue its policy of appeasement. BJP has been targeted for incidents like Dadri and killing of a writer in Karnataka despite the fact that it is not in power in those states.”

“Since we came to power we have not taken a single decision which was against any community or religion. PM Modi is working to make life better for all Indians and I urge all political parties to cooperate with us in pursing policies of progress and development,” he said.