Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP state general secretary and MLC N Ravikumar reasoned the omission of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in a government advertisement published as part of the 75th Independence Day celebration that it was Nehru who was behind the partition.
Ravikumar said the omission was intentional because Nehru was the reason behind the partition. He further argued that Nehru was one who opposed Gandhiji on several issues when everyone listened to him.
The state BJP leader also called former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and President of the state Congress, DK Shivakumar as the puppets of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Ravikumar attacked the Congress for glorifying the 'Anti-Hindu' Tipu Sultan.
In contrast to what did the state BJP leader say about the first PM, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the contribution of Nehru to the natation during his speech at the Red Fort during the 76th Independence Day celebration.
"Today is an opportunity to bow down in front of those who fought the war of independence and also built the country after independence, be it Nehruji, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Deendayal Upadhyay, Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Nanaji Deshmukh, Subramania Bharati," PM Modi said.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai praised Nehru's role in the struggle for independence in his Independence Day speech despite the ongoing controversy. "Many people gave up their lives and made sacrifices in the fight for freedom," he said.
History is etched with the contributions of great individuals like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bhagat Singh, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, and many others.