Three BJP MPs on Thursday attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his pitch of “mohabbat ki dukan” (love shop) stating that the Congress’s history gave lie to the claim and mentioned instances of communal riots and ill-treatment of Gandhi family members Maneka and Varun Gandhi to make their point.
Lok Sabha members Poonam Mahajan (from Mumbai), Parvesh Sahib Singh (Delhi) and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Rajasthan) penned a nine-page letter, wondering if he was running “mohabbat ki dukan ya nafrat ka mega mall” (shop of love or mega mall of hate).
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Claiming that the maximum number of riots happened under Congress governments, they highlighted the alleged mistreatment of many Congress leaders by the Nehru-Gandhi family and “inhumane” treatment meted out to some relatives by the family.
The BJP MPs claimed in their letter that Ms. Maneka Gandhi, a BJP MP and Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s aunt, was allegedly forced out of her marital home by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982 even though her little son in her lap was running a high temperature.
“His grandmother had treated Ms. Maneka Gandhi with so much ‘mohabbat’,” they said in a dig at Mr. Rahul Gandhi.
Varun’s wedding
The BJP MPs said neither former Congress president Sonia Gandhi nor Mr. Rahul Gandhi or his sister Priyanka Vadra attended the wedding of BJP MP and cousin Mr. Varun Gandhi despite the BJP MP going to their 10 Janpath residence to invite them personally.
However, Mr. Varun Gandhi attended Ms. Vadra’s wedding despite the “intolerable insult inflicted on his family by Indira Gandhi”, they added.
“This shows the meaning of “mohabbat” for him and it is reflected in his personal relations as well,” the BJP leaders said.
In the letter, the three BJP MPs also alleged that thousands of people were killed in Maharashtra after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948 and in 1984 in Delhi in the anti-Sikh riots following Indira Gandhi’s death alleging that Congress members were behind both. They also alleged that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru made a speech which incited people instead of giving a message of peace and harmony in 1948.
The BJP leaders cited reports of Nehru’s advise to the then President Rajendra Prasad against attending the funeral of Sardar Patel and his opposition to B.R. Ambedkar in elections to hit out at the Congress. Dr. Ambedkar was kept at the margins even though he was more qualified than Nehru in every sense, they claimed.
They also referred to the way the then Congress president Sitaram Kesari was turfed out to install Ms. Sonia Gandhi in his place. In this context, they mentioned Ghulam Nabi Azad and claimed he was targeted after he led a group (G-23) of Congress leaders in seeking an overhaul of the party.
