New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s memorial Monday and paid tribute to the previous stalwart of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP). Gandhi’s go to to the previous PM’s memorial got here a day after Vajpayee’s 98th beginning anniversary Sunday.
Gandhi provided rose petals on the memorial, named ‘Sadaiv Atal’, and joined palms in tribute, turning into the primary individual from the Gandhi household to go to the memorial because the former Prime Minister handed away in 2018.
Rahul Gandhi’s go to to the memorial was stuffed with symbolism. On a 150-day Bharat Jodo Yatra towards what the Congress chief has termed “the politics of hate and worry”, Gandhi selected to go to Vajpayee’s memorial in Delhi in what was perceived as an try to attract a distinction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Although each leaders have an RSS background, Modi is seen by many as a hardcore Hindutva face, whereas Vajpayee was perceived to be the extra average and liberal face of the BJP and the RSS.
Although the Congress was very essential of the then Prime Minister when he was in workplace, the social gathering has since been softening it’s stance on Vajpayee, selecting to coach its weapons at who it considers Hindutva hardliners — an inventory which incorporates former deputy PM L.Ok. Advani and PM Modi.
Gandhi’s go to to the Vajpayee memorial has, nonetheless, been dismissed by the BJP as a “picture op”.
“It’s good he’s going to pay homage to Atal ji however he must also be taught one thing from Atal ji, like rashtravaad (nationalism). He (Vajpayee) was a Swayemsevek all by means of his life. Rahul all the time abuses RSS. He ought to be taught from Atal ji’s ideology and never go for a photograph op solely,” BJP spokesperson Ok.Ok. Sharma had instructed ThePrint.
On Monday, Rahul additionally visited the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Whereas the previous Congress president was initially scheduled to go to all of the memorials Saturday, whereas concluding the Delhi leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the go to was later postponed to Sunday, because the “night padyatra in New Delhi was extended and took extra time due to the surging crowd” according to the Congress.
The go to was then additional postponed by a day, and eventually passed off Monday.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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