A day after Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders attacked the RSS for not hoisting the tricolor for 52 years after Independence, the RSS on Thursday said people should rise above politics and focus on celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of Azadi.
“Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is a national festival and the entire country has to celebrate it together. On July 9, the RSS announced its support for all programmes being organised by the Government of India, state governments or other organisations. The RSS has called upon all its workers to enthusiastically participate in all such programmes. There should be no politics over Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. All should rise above politics and focus on celebrating the festival,” RSS publicity in-charge Sunil Ambekar said.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders changed his profile picture to tricolour on social media platforms, Rahul on Wednesday hit out at the RSS, saying it did not hoist the national flag at its headquarters for 52 years after independence.
“History is witness that those running the tricolor campaign in every house have come from an anti-national organization which did not hoist the tricolor for 52 years. Since the freedom struggle, they have not been able to stop the Congress and will not be able to do so now,” he tweeted.
Congress chief spokesperson Jairam Ramesh posted screenshots of the Twitter handle of RSS and its chief Mohan Bhagwat and tweeted: “We have put up a picture of our leader Nehru holding the national flag as our DP. But it seems the PM’s message has not reached his family. Those who did not hoist the tricolour at their Nagpur headquarters for 52 years, will they listen to the PM?
Rahul’s attack came on a day BJP leaders and ministers questioned the absence of opposition MPs at the tiranga bike rally from Red Fort to Parliament organized by the Ministry of Culture.
Rahul and senior Congress leaders also changed pictures of their social media displays to a picture of India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru holding the national flag.
