Belagavi (Karnataka) [India]: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday hailed Mahatma Gandhi and criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ rally in Belagavi district.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar referred to the BJP as the “Godse party” and accused them of lacking understanding of sacrifices and the freedom movement.
“I do not want to comment anything about the BJP, those who do not know about the freedom movement. They don’t know what is sacrifice. We don’t want to hear whatever the Godse party (is saying),” he said.
The Deputy CM highlighted the enduring global legacy of Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership and non-violence principles.
“This is a programme to mark 100 years of Gandhiji as Congress president. Even though he is dead, his values are still alive. All the leaders of the world have accepted his leadership and his non-violence movement. The history of Congress is the history of the country. So we want to take it forward,” Shivakumar added.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also left for Belagavi to attend the rally, which commemorates 100 years since Mahatma Gandhi chaired the Congress session in Belgaum (now Belagavi) in 1924.
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge stated that the event was initially postponed following the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and was rescheduled for January 21. Kharge emphasized that the rally aims to send a strong message to the BJP-led central government.
He also took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that no “misinterpretation” or “deviation” from Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution will be tolerated.