If you have a problem with ‘nation’, why not change your name? Modi asks Congress

Claiming that "urban naxals" were dominating a weakened Congress's thinking, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked the main Opposition party, asking it to change its name from Indian National Congress to Federation of Congress if the concept of India as a nation is unconstitutional to them.

Replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in Rajya Sabha, Modi went on to say that if the Congress was disbanded as per Mahatma Gandhi’s wish, the country’s democracy could have been free of dynasty and it would have taken a 'swadeshi' path rather than falling for "foreign ideals".

With elections in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur -- in mind, a combative Modi devoted a substantial part of his 100-minute speech to turn the tables on the Congress.

He referred to the 15 year "delay" in the independence of Goa, Emergency, anti-Sikh riots and Khalistani terrorism in Punjab, actions against Lata Mangeshkar’s brother for airing V D Savarkar’s song in All India Radio and Kishore Kumar during Emergency among others, amid protests by the main Opposition party, which eventuallywalked out.

Read more | Dynastic politics biggest threat to India: PM's jibe at Congress

Without taking Rahul Gandhi’s name, Modi referred to his remarks in Lok Sabha that the Constitution describes India as a “Union of States” and not a nation. "Now they have objections to the word 'nation'. If the idea of 'nation' is unconstitutional, then why is your party called Indian National Congress? If this is your new thinking, change your name. Change it to Federation of Congress. Correct the mistakes done by your predecessors,"

Modi said it has been remarked in the House that the Congress laid India's foundation and BJP just hoisted a flag. Some people believe that India was born in 1947, he said. The country’s democracy was “not due to your generosity” and those who “strangled democracy” in 1975 (Emergency) should not speak on it, he said.

Accusing the Congress of “never thinking of anything else beyond the dynasty”, Modi said one has to accept that the "biggest threat" to democracy was dynastic parties, as the "first casualty" will be that of talent when a family is supreme in a party.

Turning his attention to 'Congress na hoti, toh kya hota' (if there was no Congress, what would have happened) remarks, Modi alleged that it was an extension of the 'India is Indira, Indira is India' slogan.

“Had Congress ceased to be, as per the wish of Mahatma Gandhi, democracy would have been free from dynasty. India would have walked on the path of 'swadeshi' resolutions, instead of taking to foreign ideals. Had Congress not been there, there would have been no blot of Emergency.”

“Had Congress not been there, there would have been no massacre of Sikhs, Punjab wouldn't have burnt in flames of terrorism for years, Kashmiri Pandits need not have left Kashmir. Had Congress not been there, there would've been no incident of daughters being thrown in 'tandoor'," Modi said.

He alleged that Congress did not allow development in the country when they were in power and now in Opposition, they are obstructing the development of the country. "Now they have objections to 'nation'. If the idea of 'nation' is unconstitutional, then why is your party called Indian National Congress? If this is your new thinking, change your name," Modi said.

On accusations that his government was putting federalism in danger, Modi said that President’s Rule was imposed over 100 times during Congress governments and even did not spare Congress Chief Ministers who fell out of favour of the High Command, referring to several leaders, including Karnataka’s Veerendra Patil.

The Congress High Command employs three strategies – discredit, destabilise and dismiss, he said, adding that several state governments led by Farooq Abdullah, Devil lala, Parkash Singh Badal, Ramakrishna Hegde, S R Bommai, M Karunanidhi and NT Rama Rao were troubled by the Congress-led Centre.

On Goa, he said, the south Indian state would not have waited for 15 years for independence if the Congress government followed Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s policies.

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