– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: Defending Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks about RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched a sharp attack on RSS and BJP. He emphasised that Congress remains resolute in its fight against the RSS, BJP, and the misuse of “institutions hijacked by them”.
Addressing a press conference, Baghel and Pawan Khera, Chairman of Media and Publicity Department, condemned BJP leaders for distorting Gandhi’s statement. Baghel asserted that the Congress doesn’t need lessons on patriotism from RSS or BJP, arguing that while Indians fought for freedom, RSS was corroborating with the British. He accused the RSS of adhering to the ideologies of Hitler and Mussolini, dismissing the principles of democracy, justice, and equality.
Baghel criticised Bhagwat’s recent claim that India didn’t truly achieve freedom on August 15, 1947, calling it an insult to the sacrifices of countless Indians who fought for Independence. He alleged that RSS’s long-standing opposition to the Constitution reflects their desire to replace it.
During the inauguration of the Congress’s new headquarters, Rahul Gandhi labelled Bhagwat’s remarks as “treason.”
He stated, “If he is saying the Constitution and the fight against the British were invalid, it amounts to treason. In any other country, such a statement would lead to arrest and trial. To claim that India didn’t achieve independence in 1947 insults every Indian. It’s time to stop tolerating such nonsense.”
Referring to Gandhi’s criticism, Baghel underscored the misuse of state institutions like the ED, IT and CBI under the BJP government. He accused the BJP of hijacking these institutions to serve its agenda, reiterating that the Congress’s fight extends beyond the BJP and RSS to include resistance against this institutional misuse.
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Baghel alleged that despite BJP’s dominance at the Centre and in several states, it is the RSS that dictates its policies, a model he argued contradicts Constitutional values of justice, equality, and democracy. He accused the BJP government of eroding India’s social cohesion and economic stability by consolidating control over democratic institutions.
Responding to this correspondent’s question, you say an FIR should be lodged against Bhagwat, why doesn’t Congress take this step? Baghel said, “Who will file the FIR? Does Delhi Police have the power to register an FIR against Mohan Bhagwat? Will the person who goes to file the FIR even get the opportunity to climb up to the threshold of the police station?”
Pawan Khera echoed Baghel’s criticism of the RSS, saying that the RSS has a record of betrayal, pointing out how Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of Jan Sangh, advised the British on suppressing the Quit India Movement.
