The Congress on Wednesday unleashed attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that "the world did not know of Mahatma Gandhi till the film 'Gandhi' was made". The grand old party said those whose ideological ancestors were involved in his assassination could never follow the path of truth shown by the 'Mahatma'.
Rahul Gandhi's jibe at PM Modi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also took a swipe at the prime minister, saying, "Only the student of 'Entire Political Science' would need to watch the film to know about Mahatma Gandhi."
"Mahatma Gandhi is the sun that gave strength to the whole world to fight against darkness. In the form of truth and non-violence, Bapu showed the world a path that gives courage to even the weakest person to stand up against injustice. He does not need any certificate from a person who got education from 'shakha (RSS)'," his X post read.
It's time for the lie to pack its bags and go: Kharge
Attacking PM Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said "it is time for the lie to pack its bags and go".
"Those whose ideological ancestors along with Nathuram Godse were involved in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, can never follow the path of truth given by Bapu. Now the lie is about to pack its bags and go," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
hich world the outgoing Prime Minister lives...: Jairam Ramesh
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "I don't know in which world the outgoing Prime Minister lives where Mahatma Gandhi was not recognized across the world before 1982. If anyone has destroyed the legacy of the Mahatma, it is the outgoing Prime Minister himself. His own government has destroyed Gandhian institutions in Varanasi, Delhi and Ahmedabad."
This is the identity of the RSS workers that they do not know the nationalism of Mahatma Gandhi. It is due to the environment created by their ideology that Nathuram Godse killed Gandhi, Ramesh said in a post on X.
"The 2024 election has taken place between Mahatma bhakts and Godse bhakts. The defeat of the outgoing Prime Minister and his Godse bhakt companions is obvious," Ramesh said.
Mahatma Gandhi is the greatest icon of modern history in the world: Venugopal
Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said Mahatma Gandhi is the greatest icon of modern history in the world. Even before Independence, he was a phenomenon that every colonised country admired and looked to for inspiration, he noted.
"Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, who Modi referred to in his ludicrous statement, were inspired by Gandhi himself. To think that a movie was required to popularise India's greatest thought leader since the Buddha is not only ignorant, but also an insult to Bapu.
"It comes as no surprise that someone whose ideological forefathers were complicit in Gandhi's assassination is so ill-informed about his global impact. The Entire Political Science graduate has once again shown why nobody takes him seriously anymore," Venugopal said in a post on X.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also said in a post that he was appalled by the prime minister's comment that "the world did not know about Mahatma Gandhi until Richard Attenborough made the film Gandhi".
"Has Mr Modi heard of the name Albert Einstein? Does Mr Modi know what Albert Einstein said of Mahatma Gandhi? Did Albert Einstein (died 1955) know about Mahatma Gandhi only after the film 'Gandhi' was released (1982)," he asked.
Prime Minister Modi in a TV interview said,"..Across the world, Mahatma Gandhi was a great person. Was it not our responsibility in these 75 years to ensure that the entire world knows Mahatma Gandhi. I am sorry to say that no one knows about him. The first time when the film 'Gandhi' was made, it was then that there was curiosity across the world as to who this person was. We have not done so..."
"It was the task of this country to ensure that if the world knows about Martin Luther King, South Africa's Nelson Mandela ji, then Gandhi was no less. One has to agree and I am saying this after travelling across the world that India should have got that importance due to Mahatma Gandhi. Solution to a lot of problems of the world lies in Gandhi. We have lost a lot...," PM Modi said in his interview.
(With PTI inputs)
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