Sardar Patel’s Legacy Battle gets Murkier

BJP and Congress were at loggerheads last full week wrt claim for Patel’s legacy. It all started with a statement attributed to Modi that Nehru didn’t attend Sardar Patel’s funeral. Congmen including Diggi spent sleepless nights aas to how to counter NaMo bomb and found out that Nehru actually attended. They also found a ToI edition of those times which covered 1st page news that Nehru attended Patel’s funeral. Diggi was whining. Then Cong got this printed in all newspapers to showcase NaMo’s lies.

The wily NaMo after getting all attention got the paper to say that he never made such a statement. Pity, all effort of Cong goes waste. Diggi virtually crying. How can the paper say that? I spent a lot of time and energy on this. Don’t spend time on NaMo bashing, if you guys would have spent half the time thinking about India, India would have been a much better place.

The topic once again heated up when current PM and potential PM met each other at inauguration of Sardar Patel museum in Ahmedabad. Modi hit at Congress stating that Patel would have been better PM and country’s prospects would have been better. MMS not to take things lying down threw the following punches:

• Sardar was a Congressi – We all know that MMS. Congress was the only major party at that point of time. How come you failed to mention his name even in one of the 10 speeches you have given from Red Fort on Independence Day. If his contribution was great, why are not schemes named after him and only reserved for one family. Why was he given Bharat Ratna after Indira and Rajiv Gandhi? Isn’t it true that 12 out of 15 regional / state Congress committees voted for Sardar Patel as President of Congress and eventually PM. NaMo didn’t make this statement hawa mein. There is a controversy regarding Nehru’s appointment as PM and many felt that Patel was more deserving. NaMo was merely putting forth his viewpoint.

• He was secular: Of course he was. You meant NaMo is not secular. He doesn’t need a certificate from you. Congress definition of secular is appeasement of minority. While BJP / NaMo definition of secularism is one India where there is no majority, no minority.

Not to be left behind, NaMo took on MMS when foundation stone for the Statue of Unity was laid the next day and said that no single party can claim Patel to be exclusively their own. He also thanked MMS in his inhibitive style for calling Patel secular. He admitted that Patel was a great secular leader but didn’t play secular vote bank politics as Congress now does.

This man NaMo is setting the agenda for poll discussion and Congress is falling into the trap. He is leading the point of debates across all channels. He wants people to believe that he has administrative skills similar to Sardar and people of country should not repeat the mistake of 1947. Plus he has an eye on Patel community vote bank in North India. Only time will tell whether he can be the new age Sardar.

Your thoughts please?