'Sham attempt at damage control', Congress comes down heavily on BJP

New Delhi, June 5 (IANS) The Congress on Sunday came down heavily on the BJP on its action against party spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, calling it "blatantly counterfeit pretence, which is evidently farce".

The Congress reacted to the BJP took action against its two spokespersons for their alleged comment against prophet Muhammad.

Randeep Singh Surjewala, party General Secretary said, "BJP's statement today saying it is, 'strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion' is nothing but a blatantly counterfeit pretence, which is evidently farce and another sham attempt at damage control."

Surjewala said that the BJP and its shenanigans have repeatedly and by design insulted India's centuries old civilisational ethos of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' by constantly pitting one community and religion against another to polarise, to divide and to spread hatred.

He said the BJP and the Modi Government is now founded upon religious violence, divisive conservatism and nurturing hatred to secure vote-bank politics. None less than the Prime Minister and the BJP Chief Ministers, of the ilk of Yogi Adityanath, have introduced a new political vocabulary of State sponsored division of Society, i.e. "Shamshan-Kabristan", "80 vs 20", "bulldozer", and it is now entirely centred upon creating, propagating, promoting and executing a wedge between religions and communities based on what they wear, what they eat, how they live, how they celebrate their religion or even how they speak.

The Congress alleged that the truth is that the BJP has pushed India into a dark age of religious polarisation to subserve its parochial political agenda in the short term. Its leaders as well as workers have perpetrated only one thing and that is creating a schism in India's universally celebrated idea of unity in diversity.

"The BJP and its leadership needs to rethink the irreparable damage being caused to the polity by their insatiable lust for power. Resultantly, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians as also SC, ST and OBCs have had to face the wrath of lumpen elements backed by State Power. This cannot be the central theme of any political party."

"The placatory expulsion of two key members and spokespersons of the BJP from its primary membership, done obviously under duress of threats from external powers, exposes the much touted 'muscular posturing' and positioning of the BJP and the Modi Government." he said.