Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre on Thursday, Sonia Gandhi alleged that the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi is under “threat” from the ruling dispensation.
Regretting her absence at the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting titled ‘Nav Satyagrah Baithak’ in Karnataka’s Belagavi in a message on Thursday, the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson said Mahatma Gandhi became Congress president when the party and the independence movement was at a turning point.
The two-day Baithak, which kicked off on Thursday, has been called by the party to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s presidency of Congress.
Citing the 39th session of the Congress held exactly hundred years ago at this very location, she said, “Mahatma Gandhi becoming the Congress president here was a turning point for our party and for the independence movement. It was a transformational milestone in our country’s history.”
Recalling the contribution of Gandhi, the CPP Chairperson said, “Today, we rededicate ourselves to preserve, protect and promote the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. He has been and will continue to be the fundamental source of our inspiration. It was he who moulded and guided all our remarkable galaxy of leaders of that generation.”
Attacking the ruling BJP, she said, “His (Gandhi’s) legacy is under threat from those in power in New Delhi and the ideologies and institutions that have nurtured them. These organisations never fought for our freedom. They opposed Mahatma Gandhi bitterly. They created a toxic atmosphere that led to his assassination. They glorify his killers.”
Asserting that Gandhian institutions in various places across the nation are under “assault”, the CPP chairperson said, “It is now our sacred duty to renew our resolve to confront these forces with all the might at our command and with uncompromising determination.”
She said the Congress party, with a glorious history, has, time and again, demonstrated its resilience. “Let us individually and collectively move forward from this meeting firm in our resolve to meet the many challenges our party faces with a renewed sense of urgency and a refreshed sense of purpose,” she added.