Kumar Ketkar - Modi govt wants to destroy Nehru-Gandhi legacy
Making a frontal attack on RSS and BJP here
on Saturday, senior journalist Kumar Ketkar said that the Narendra Modi
government at the Centre is trying to erase the legacy of country’s freedom
movement with a motive to impose the RSS agenda of Hindu Rashtra on the
country. Speaking as the chief guest on the theme of “India after Rajiv Gandhi
and his legacies” organised by the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) to
mark the 25th death anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Ketkar
said, “Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are not the only enemies of BJP.
The entire legacy of India’s freedom
movement is also the enemy of BJP. This is because BJP does not have any
legacy.” “But you (BJP) can’t destroy the legacy of Nehru and Gandhi. We will
preserve it,” the senior journalist said. “You can not destroy the legacies of
freedom movement by Nehru-Gandhi by changing the name of Planning Commission or
defaming JNU,” he added
He said that BJP wanted to defame India’s
first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru by declassifying the files
regarding Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. “But they did not find anything in it
against Nehru and have kept quite now,” he said. Ketkar also pointed out how
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP tried to belittle the position of Mahatma
Gandhi by linking the latter with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on streets and
roads. “You can’t reduce the stature of Mahatma Gandhi who is known all over
the world for the unparalleled message of ahimsa (non-violence) he gave to the
world,” Ketkar said.
Giving the reason as to why BJP and RSS are
opposed to Gandhi and Nehru, he said: “While Gandhi tried to unite people of
all religions by saying ‘Allah, Ishwar tere naam’ (Allah and Ishwar are the
names of the same God), Nehru strengthened democracy. And these ideologies
clashed with RSS ideology which advocated for Hindu Rashtra.” “The ‘akhand
bharat’ (undivided India) agenda of RSS is fraudulent. If they believe in
‘akhand bharat’, why are they driving away Bangladeshis? Are Bangladeshis not
part of Akhand Bharat?” Ketkar asked.
Referring to Modi’s oft-repeated slogans of
“Digital India”, Ketkar said: “It is nothing new. It is not Modi’s idea. It is
borrowed from Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi spoke about digital India way back in
1985,” he said. “RSS does not teach imagination and invention. It only teaches
hatred,” Ketkar alleged. Till 1977, RSS did not even unfurl tricolour on its
offices, he pointed out.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/modi-govt-wants-to-destroy-nehru-gandhi-legacy-journalist-kumar-ketkar-2812647/see also
