RANCHI: In a scathing attack on the Congress party’s role in India’s freedom struggle, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Dev accused the grand old party of playing a ‘friendly match’ with the British colonizers rather than fighting for independence.
Speaking exclusively to IANS on Friday, Dev questioned the very contributions of Congress leaders to the nation’s liberation. ‘Except for the 1942 Quit India Movement, Congress did nothing significant for freedom,’ he asserted. He highlighted how Jawaharlal Nehru’s jail stints were more like luxury accommodations, with his clothes sent to Paris for laundry.
Dev challenged anyone to name a single Congress leader, barring Lala Lajpat Rai, who made a major sacrifice for independence. ‘They swore allegiance to Queen Victoria and collaborated with the British,’ he said, pointing to Nehru’s involvement in the Cabinet Mission as a ploy to secure the Prime Minister’s chair post-independence.
Raising pointed questions, Dev asked why Lord Mountbatten remained Viceroy after 1947 and why British officers continued heading the Indian Army and Navy for years. ‘This proves Congress had deep ties with the British,’ he concluded, urging the party to stop claiming credit for India’s freedom.