Sonia Gandhi slams BJP for distorting history for ‘divisive, polarising’ agenda

New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “mischievously” distorting history and said the “divisive and polarising” agenda of the ruling party and its leaders has become a regular feature of the political discourse in state after state.

“History—not just ancient but also contemporary—is mischievously distorted and facts are maliciously invented to add fuel to this agenda. It is for us all to stand up and confront these forces of hate and prejudice.” Gandhi said they will not allow them to damage the bonds of amity and harmony sustained and enriched in India’s diverse society for centuries.

Interpretation of history has been a bone of contention between Congress and the BJP. The government has also continuously sought to blame India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the country’s deficiencies.

Gandhi also cautioned the Centre against the asset monetisation scheme and said it will turn out to be a “disaster” like demonetisation in 2016. She maintained that a discussion on the border situation, which the government has not agreed to so far, could only have deepened the sense of collective resolve.

In an oblique reference to the government’s stand on Russia despite the pressure to boycott Russian products and oil in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine, Gandhi said, “The value of non-alignment as a foundational principle of the nation’s foreign policy that was criticized so much has now, I am glad to note, been rediscovered even though it may not be acknowledged as such.”

Gandhi asked the government to secure the future of Indian students evacuated from war-torn Ukraine. “The future of the thousands of students who have been evacuated from Ukraine needs to be assured at the earliest. And sooner rather than later, the continuing astronomical cost of medical education in the country needs to be addressed.”

She also referred to the general strike called by the trade unions and added labour laws have been diluted at a time of growing unemployment and livelihood insecurity. “Interest rates on employee provident fund accumulations have been reduced considerably. Public sector enterprises, the one important avenue for employment of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are being sold off under the fancy name ‘asset monetization’. This will be another disaster as demonetisation turned out to be.”