English हिन्दी
Connect with us

India News

Gujarat polls ahead: Modi, BJP go all out to appropriate Sardar Patel

Published

7 years ago

on

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering on the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas – to mark the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. Photo credit: PIB

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]To commemorate 142nd birth anniversary of Vallabhbhai Patel, Prime Minister flags of Run for Unity and claims earlier governments attempted to erase Patel’s legacy

As the country remembered India’s first home minister and deputy prime minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 142nd birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP also went all out to appropriate the ‘Iron Man of India’ who, ironically, had once banned the saffron party’s parent organisation – the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

As Modi flagged off the Run for Unity from a flamboyant event organised at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the national capital to mark the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas – celebrated to mark Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary and his contribution in uniting India’s over 500 princely states into a composite Republic – it seemed too much of a coincidence that the BJP’s display of an ever-increasing fondness for Patel came weeks before the Gujarat assembly polls.

Modi launched a not-so-veiled attack at the Congress while underscoring the contributions of Sardar Patel towards building the Indian republic.

“There have been attempts to run down Sardar Patel, to ensure that his contribution is forgotten. But Sardar is Sardar, whether any government or any party recognises his contribution or not but the nation and the youth will not forget him,” Modi said while addressing the mega-event at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium.

However, the rich tributes to Sardar Patel, which are obviously well-deserved and undoubtedly should have been made more often by previous Congress regimes, also have a great political significance for Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh, minister of state for youth affairs and sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore flagging off the Run For Unity from the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Phot credit: PIB

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh, minister of state for youth affairs and sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore flagging off the Run For Unity from the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Phot credit: PIB

Sardar Patel belonged to a humble agricultural land holding Patidar family from Gujarat, the home state of both, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah. The BJP currently faces its toughest poll battle in the past 22 years as Gujarat goes to polls next month and a major reason for this party’s troubles is the raging Patidar agitation in the state that is being led by Hardik Patel, who is threatening to align with the Congress to bring down the state’s saffron government.

In Gujarat, Sardar Patel is an iconic figure whose popularity as the ‘Iron Man of India’ and a hard-nosed realist in Indian politics during the era of Nehruvian socialism arguably surpasses that of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and perhaps even of the Mahatma himself. By batting for Patel’s legacy and trying to project the BJP as the party that is fighting to get the Congress icon his true place in history, Modi is cleverly reaching out to the Gujarati electorate – especially the agitating Patidar community which has also chosen Sardar Patel as their icon.

Paying rich tributes to Sardar Patel, Modi said: “The British government wished that India was disintegrated into smaller states. But Patel used all means (saam, daam, dand, bhed, rajneeti, kutneeti) and succeeded in uniting all princely states into a single nation within a very small span of time,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that it was Rajendra Prasad – India’s first President – who had declared that India had become a united nation only due to the administrative acumen and strong leadership of Sardar Patel but that the country was not giving him due respect.

“Rajendra Babu must be happy now, wherever his soul may be, that we are remembering the contribution of Sardar Patel today even though some people tried to run down and erase his contribution. The nation will continue to remember Patel,” Modi declared.

The Prime Minister hailed Sardar Patel as “the main force behind upholding India’s unity and integrity at the time of Independence.”

In recent years, Modi and his BJP have made repeated attempts to appropriate Sardar Patel – a staunch Congressman, acolyte of Mahatma Gandhi and comrade-in-arms of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In the absence of any freedom fighters within their own ranks who can be projected to rival the popularity and stature of Pandit Nehru, the BJP-RSS combine have repeatedly sought to take Sardar Patel for their icon. The saffron combine has floated misrepresentations and grossly exaggerated claims of how the Congress under Pandit Nehru “insulted” Patel and how, in the past six decades since the death of both Nehru and Patel, the Congress party has sought to erase the contributions of Sardar in an effort to ensure that the aura around Nehru doesn’t pale in comparison.

Modi’s efforts to showcase himself and his party as the force that is keeping Patel’s legacy alive have often led the Prime Minister and his party colleagues from making gaffes at public events while trying to portray the reportedly strained relationship between Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel . The Prime Minister had once famously declared that Pandit Nehru had skipped the funeral of Sardar Patel in December 1950 – a lie that was immediately exposed by the Congress party which released video footage of the country’s first Prime Minister standing beside the funeral pyre of his deputy.

While there is no doubt that Sardar Patel had a huge role to play in uniting India and ensuring that the newly born country of multiple princely states, religions, castes and languages didn’t implode under the sheer pressure of its enormous diversity, Modi and his BJP’s bid to appropriate the icon’s legacy for incremental political and electoral gains in poll-bound Gujarat can’t be ignored either.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

PM Modi takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi after Congress picks him for Raebareli, says daro mat, bhago mat

PM Modi, speaking at a Lok Sabha election rally in Bengal, said both Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had fled their constituencies.

Published

4 hours ago

on

May 3, 2024

By

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today commented for the first time to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s announcement of his candidacy for the Raebareli seat. Rahul is making his way towards Raebareli because he is afraid of Amethi seat, according to the PM.

The Prime Minister sneered as he said at a rally in Bengal that today he also want to tell him, Daro Mat (don’t be afraid), Bhaago Mat (don’t run).

Rahul Gandhi has often said, Daro Mat while accusing the BJP government of using investigaticve agencies to terrorise critics and political opponents.

According to Prime Minister Modi, there is no need for an exit poll or opinion survey because Congress would lose by a greater margin than the previous time.

Their tallest leader did not have the guts to fight the polls in Raebareli, Prime Minister Modi added, making reference to Sonia Gandhi. She went away and joined the Rajya Sabha in Rajasthan.

The PM reffered Rahul Gandhi as Shehzaada and said he would lose Wayanad, as he has predicted. He was searching for a second seat because of this. Also, their supporters said that he would battle from Amethi. However, PM Modi said, he is so afraid that he ran to Raebareli to find a way out.

Additionally, he claimed that the I.N.D.I.A bloc is only committed to the voting base of a specific locality.

Speaking out against the TMC and the Left-Congress allience in Bengal, Prime Minister Modi claimed he was not afraid since he had overcome poverty. Getting scared is not in his dictionary. He is determined to work for the country, he said.

Meanwhile, the Amethi-Raebareli decision was attacked by a number of BJP leaders, who claimed it was obvious that Rahul Gandhi knew he couldn’t win Amethi, where Smriti Irani is contesting again following her stunning success in the previous Lok Sabha election.

Continue Reading

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Rahul Gandhi to contest from Raebareli, KL Sharma from Amethi

Published

6 hours ago

on

May 3, 2024

By

The Congress party unveiled its list of candidates on Friday, and the party has picked Rahul Gandhi from Raebareli and Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi has been nominated. After a great deal of speculation regarding the two Uttar Pradesh seats, the announcement was made.

Raebareli and Amethi have both been strongholds for the Congress. Rahul Gandhi lost against BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi.

Taking to social media X, Congress announced their decision to field Rahul Gandhi from Raebareli and KL Sharma from Amethi, which was made at a meeting of the Central Election Committee.

Today is the final day to submit nominations for the  fifth phase of the election, which is scheduled to held on May 20th. Both the candidates will file nominations today. 

Priyanka Gandhi praised KL Sharma shortly after the nominees for the two prestigious seats were revealed, stating that his loyalty and dedication will help him win the election.

She wrote X, her family has known Kishori Lal Sharma ji for a very long time. His dedication to serving the public good serves as an example. The Congress Party’s decision to nominate Shri Kishori Lal Ji as an Amethi candidate is a matter of joy. She also said Kishori Lal Sharma will undoubtedly win this election because of his devotion to duty and loyalty.

However, given Union minister Smriti Irani’s success in Amethi in 2019, there is worry that Rahul Gandhi’s change of seat could work in the BJP’s favour. With her impending victory, the senior BJP leader has said that the Congress’s delay was due to cold feet and is prepared to defend the seat.

KL Sharma will contest against Smriti Irani in Amethi in the Lok Sabha elections. While, Rahul Gandhi’s opponent would be Dinesh Pratap Singh, who was named by BJP for Raebareli on Thursday. Singh lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi  is scheduled to hold a roadshow in Raebareli after filing of nominations. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will also visit Raebareli today.

Continue Reading

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan gets BJP Lok Sabha ticket from Kaiserganj

Karan Singh Bhushan was on December 13, 1990. He competed at the national level in double trap shooting. He has a daughter and a son. Karan Singh Bhushan completed his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and law from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University.

Published

24 hours ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

BJP on Thursday dropped sitting Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by women wrestlers and gave a ticket to his son, Karan Bhushan Singh. Karan Bhushan, Brij Bhushan’s younger son, is the president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association. He is also the head of The Cooperative Bank in Nawabganj in Gonda district.

Karan Singh Bhushan was on December 13, 1990. He competed at the national level in double trap shooting. He has a daughter and a son. Karan Singh Bhushan completed his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and law from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University.

He has also holds a diploma in business management from Australia. Karan Bhushan Singh is presently the president of the Uttar Pradesh wrestling association. Earlier he was the senior vice president of the UP wrestling association. Elections will be take place in Kaiserganj in the 5th phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 20. Karan Bhushan Singh is likely to file his nomination from Kaiserganj on May 3.

There has been a lot of speculation and suspense on Brij Bhushan Sharan seat this time as the former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, who is also a 6-term MP, had been accused of sexual harassment by some of the India’s top wrestlers.

Many female wrestlers, including medallists, protested against the BJP leader and demanded his arrest over the charges of sexual harassment while he was serving the position of the WFI president. Wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, sat on a protest at the Jantar Mantar and demanded action against the Kaiseganj MP.

The Delhi Police later registered a case against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354D (stalking), 354A (sexual harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, on June 15, 2023. But he was granted bail on July 20, 2023.

Continue Reading

Trending

-->

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com