They are breaking nation; we are unifying it: Shri Kharge

New Delhi: On the 133rd birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge on November 14, 2022, accused the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led centre of following a policy of “Changing names” and repeating the same dialogue asking people what the Congress has done in the past 70 years instead of focusing on work.

He also slammed the government, saying that it is “not a democratic one” and is following a policy of “divide and rule”. The newly appointed Congress Chief made the remarks while speaking at the Nehru Memorial Lecture that was delivered by leading academician Purushottam Agrawal at the Jawahar Bhawan in New Delhi.

The veteran leader also slammed the government over the issue of unemployment and pointed out that there are about 30 lakh vacancies in the central government-aided institutions and schools, while PM Modi has distributed only 75,000 appointment letters.

Citing the handling of the Kashmir issue, Shri Purshottam Agarwal said, “On the Nehru government’s handling of Kashmir, one can talk in great detail about it, but presently just one question – if his handling was so wrong, why have none of his illustrious colleagues resigned from his cabinet? Why Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee not resign in protest?”

He also said that the Nehruvian idea of the economy was “holistic” and that health and education were considered the state’s duty and “not a burden.”

Shri Agarwal went on to say that while Nehru’s foreign policy has been criticized, and even condemned by some, it has stood the test of time.“Wisely and fortunately, so far, the Indian governments have followed Nehruvian foreign policy in spirit, even when the world is no longer bi-polar,” Shri Agarwal said.

“It is in the same spirit that India is working in tandem with the emerging large economies like Brazil, China and South Africa. One hopes that despite all the Nehru bashing so dear to the current regime, this spirit will continue,” Agarwal said.

Earlier in the day, Congress President Shri Kharge, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and several other leaders paid floral tributes to Nehru in Shantivan, Delhi.