Present Cong not original, fake Gandhis doing politics in name of Mahatma Gandhi: Kumaraswamy

PTI, Dec 26, 2024, 5:09 PM IST

H D Kumaraswamy (pti/file)

Mandya (Karnataka): JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday said that the present Congress in the country is not the “original” one, and hit out at the party’s leadership, stating that fake Gandhis are doing politics in the name of Mahatma Gandhi.

Noting that Gandhi had called for the disbanding of the Congress, he slammed its state unit, terming it as the party of ” Ali Baba and the forty thieves”, and targeted its government in Karnataka.

“Today the Congress leaders have gathered in Belagavi in the name of Gandhi to commemorate the centenary celebrations of the Indian National Congress session that was presided over by him. The government is spending crores of rupees on it, but I did not see Gandhi’s cutout anywhere, instead of Gandhi, the fake Gandhis who are doing politics in the name of Gandhi. Their large scale cutout has been erected,” Kumaraswamy said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said he has no objections to the programme being organised in the name of Gandhi, who has contributed immensely to the freedom struggle and dreamt of real freedom for the people of the country.

“What is the contribution of these people (Congress leaders)?..what is their contribution in the name of Gandhi? What have they done in the last one year?” he asked, and questioned the Congress and the party’s government in Karnataka.

Congress is commemorating the centenary celebrations of the 1924 Indian National Congress session that was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi in Belagavi, as part of which it is holding an extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Thursday and a public meeting on December 27.

The event is being organised by the fake Congress, not the original one, Kumaraswamy said, and added that Gandhi had called for the disbanding of the Congress.

“Congress has split how many times? Is the original Congress that fought for the freedom of the country still there? Which Congress is this? The Congress that is there in Karnataka is Ali Baba and the forty thieves — Congress. Not the one that works for the people,” he said.

Noting that the Congress government always speaks about guarantee schemes, the union minister asked the Siddaramaiah-led administration to place the facts before people as to how much they are taxing them.

“In 18 months since this government came to power in two budgets, there is a loan of Rs 2 lakh crore, who will repay it? …In the name of guarantees, the government is misleading people. It is not giving them the power of employment. There is no development, there is no capital expenditure….” he said, adding that merely taking Gandhi’s name won’t help.

Targeting the Congress government for ill treatment meted to BJP MLC C T Ravi after his arrest following allegations of using a derogatory word against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar last week, Kumaraswamy questioned the inaction of the Home Minister in taking action against those responsible.

“You (Congress govt) are celebrating Gandhi, but in the state you are allowing goondagiri culture. Will you protect Gandhi’s name? Crores of public money is being spent on this event, to give what kind of message?” he asked.

Pointing out that the Andhra Pradesh government and the chief minister are constantly in touch with him regarding setting up a steel industry with an investment of over one lakh crore, the union minister said they are also making efforts and giving cooperation regarding Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) factory in Andhra Pradesh, and asked, “what cooperation am I getting here (in Karnataka from govt)?”