The Congress is holding its CWC meeting with this commitment at Sevagram, where it gave the ‘Chale Jao’ call against the British on July 14, 1942.” (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)
LIKENING the BJP-led government at the Centre to the British Raj, the Congress has called for an action similar to the ‘Chale Jao’ movement against it. Addressing a press meet on Monday on the eve of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at Sevagram on Tuesday, party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “Like the British government, the Narendra Modi government too has resorted to loot, falsehood, fear and polarisation to remain in power. So, the time has come to free the country from the clutches of the anti-people, egotist BJP government. The Congress is holding its CWC meeting with this commitment at Sevagram, where it gave the ‘Chale Jao’ call against the British on July 14, 1942.”
He listed 10 “similarities” between the British Raj and the Modi government — “allowing the loot of the country’s resources…, divide and rule, authoritarianism, pumping bullets into farmers instead of providing succour…, torture of Dalits, tribals, women and minorities, the Gabbar Singh Tax (GST), working in the interest of a handful of rich and feudal lords, suppressing agitation and dissenting voices, suppression of media, and snake-charmer kind of derogatory propaganda saying nothing has happened in India in 70 years”.
“Mahatma Gandhi led the Congress to free the country from the British. We will be meeting tomorrow at Sevagram under the leadership of (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi with a similar commitment by following the Gandhian way,” Surjewala said.
Referring to the Rafale deal, Surjewala reiterated his party’s position. Asked why the Congress wasn’t going to court against the deal, he said, “… We have gone to people’s court against it. They will give justice.”
Asked why the Congress was silent on NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s “clean chit” to Modi on the Rafale deal, Surjewala said, “The party has in writing clarified that Pawar’s statement had been presented in a distorted manner. NCP is our friend. So why should we say anything against what had been wrongly attributed to him?”