'Congress leaders assassinated for political decisions': Malviya's remark draws ire of opposition leaders

Malviya had on Monday triggered a controversy by saying that the Congress leaders were assassinated 'for political decisions they took'.

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief JP Nadda to unequivocally disavow their IT cell chief Amit Malviya for his remarks that Congress leaders got assassinated “for the political decisions they took” and remove him from his position after apologising to the country.

The party also decided not to participate in news shows hosted by India Today TV's Rahul Kanwal where Malviya made the controversial remarks, as the anchor has “amplified” Malviya's remarks on social media and refused to take it down. Malviya made the remarks during a news show on the assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Donald Trump.

In a letter to Nadda, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said Malviya's comments invoking the assassinations of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were not only “deeply insensitive but also represent a disturbing effort to trivialise tragic historical events for "narrow political gains”.

“Such remarks not only disrespect the memory of our esteemed leaders but also set a deplorable precedent for political discourse in our nation,” he said adding, it was crucial to remind him about the contributions of Indira and Rajiv, as the BJP “continues to rewrite and disrespect” history.

“It is imperative that the BJP leadership, including the Prime Minister, unequivocally disavow Malviya's reprehensible comments. If the BJP truly represents our nation's history and leaders, I urge you to promptly remove Malviya from his position and issue an unreserved apology to the people of India,” he said.

Recalling Indira as the ‘Iron Lady’ who played a pivotal role in securing India's integrity during challenging times and Rajiv for spearheading the IT revolution and crucial peace accords that brought stability to the region, he said their violent assassinations were among the “darkest chapters” in the country's history. “Any attempt to diminish their legacy is unacceptable and will be firmly opposed,” he said.

He said it was also imperative to bring to his attention the “tragic” assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, who was “killed by the same ideology of hate and divisiveness espoused by the organisation that forms the ideological compass and philosophical guide of the BJP”. On the other hand, he said, Congress has upheld the principles of truth and non-violence, he said.

During the show hosted by Kanwal, the BJP IT cell chief accused Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, of encouraging violence against Modi while seeking to draw a parallel between the rhetoric of Democrats in the US and Congress leaders here. “Before the Congress claims that their own leaders got assassinated, I want to remind them that they were assassinated for the political decisions that they took,” he said in remarks, whose video was tweeted by Kanwal.

Congress Media and Publicity Department chairperson Pawan Khera said the "obnoxious remarks" made by Malviya belittling the martyrdom of former Prime Ministers of India and other great leaders, were allowed to go "unchallenged" by Kanwal on his show televised on July 15.

"The Congress spokesperson was not allowed to complete her counter and was interjected by the anchor. To add to that, the anchor himself tweeted and amplified the same remarks from his Twitter handle. On being pointed out, the anchor said his producer had tweeted it. This morning I asked him why he had not deleted his tweet," he said.

"Having waited the entire day, we realise the anchor does not intend to delete or distance himself and the channel from the comment. Clearly, some people have still not understood the meaning of June 4, 2024. We are constrained to announce that we shall not be participating in the show of Rahul Kanwal," Khera added.