Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sudhanshu Trivedi on Sunday said that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi who praised former Prime Minister of the country Rajiv Gandhi for his ‘innumerable achievements’ should not hide the truth how the former PM’s decisions ‘impacted India adversely’.

“We can also understand the pain of Sonia Gandhiji which she feels about the death of Rajiv Gandhiji. She can praise his legacy but she should not hide the truth. The country saw how Rajiv Gandhi’s decisions impacted India adversely. It was short-term, but the country faces a lot of problems. Be it- Sikhs’ killing in Delhi, UP or Tamil Nadu,” the BJP leader said while speaking to ANI.

Referring to the tenure of former PM Manmohan Singh, Trivedi said, “Sonia Gandhi is giving a remark that the politics of division is decreasing the morale of this country. I want to remind her that during her de-facto leadership when the country was under the control of an accidental Prime Minister, there was chaos from Delhi to Mumbai, Gujarat to Guwahati, and Chennai to Hyderabad. Was this not due to politics of division?”
Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi praised former Prime Minister of the country Rajiv Gandhi for his uncountable achievements during his short political career which was finished in a very “brutal manner”.

Addressing an event at the 25th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award ceremony, Sonia Gandhi, the wife of the late Rajiv Gandhi said that the former PM’s political career came to an end in a “very cruel manner”, but he made several achievements in the short time he spent in the service of the country, including towards women empowerment.

“Rajiv Gandhi’s political career was finished in a brutal manner but he achieved many milestones in that short time. He was very sensitive towards the diversity of the country. Whatever time he got to serve the nation, he accomplished uncountable achievements. He was dedicated towards women’s empowerment. He struggled for the 1/3 reservation of women in Panchayat and Municipals,” Sonia said, adding that his government also lowered the age of voting to 18 years from 21 years.

Born on August 20 in 1944, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.
However, Sonia Gandhi further said that the ideals of communal harmony, peace and national unity have become more significant at a time the forces giving rise to hatred, division in society, bigotry and politics of bias are getting more active.
“They are also getting the support of the ruling dispensation,” she added.