Guwahati: Congressman Gaurav Pandhi criticised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in honour of the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday claiming that both organisations employed Vajpayee as a “British informer.”
Taking to Twitter, Pandhi said, “In 1942, like all other members of the RSS, Atal Bihari Vajpayee boycotted the Quit India Movement and worked as a British Informer reporting against those who participated in the Andolan.”
“Be it Nellie massacre or demolition of Babri, Vajpayee played an important role in inciting mobs. There is a reason why BJP leaders today always liken Modi with Gandhi, Patel or other Congress leaders and not Savarkar, Vajpayee or Golwalkar. They know the truth!” he added.
The former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary is being observed as Good Governance Day at the time of the Congress leader’s comments.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s memorial Sadaiv Atal received flower tributes on Sunday in honour of his birth anniversary from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar.
“Tributes to Atal Ji on his Jayanti. His contribution to India is indelible. His leadership and vision motivate millions of people,” tweeted Prime Minister Modi.
Among the luminaries who paid respect to the late Prime Minister were Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman.
In his tweets, Shah said that Atal ji’s patriotism, dutifulness and dedication will always inspire us to serve the nation.” The Home Minister said that the life of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the pinnacle of Indian politics, was dedicated to taking the country back to its ultimate glory.
“By laying the foundation of a new era of development and Good Governance under his leadership, Atal ji made the world aware of India’s potential and instilled a sense of national pride in the public. Today, on his birth anniversary, I pay my respects to Atal ji,” he said.
From May 16, 1996, to June 1, 1996 and again from March 19, 1998, until May 22, 2004, Vajpayee was India’s prime minister. In the administration of Prime Minister Moraji Desai, he also served as India’s Minister of External Affairs from 1977 to 1979. On August 16, 2018 he passed away at the AIIMS hospital in Delhi.
After taking office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that December 25 would be observed as Good Governance Day each year in honour of the former leader and recipient of the Bharat Ratna award.