"Congress Was Special Purpose Vehicle For Independence Movement": Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said the Congress party was a "Special Purpose Vehicle" for independence movement, without any ideology, whereas the BJP was formed on the basis of an ideological pillar called "cultural nationalism".

India's story has begun and by 2047 creation of a "great India" is certain, he said, as he credited the people for a "paradigm shift" in the country, by bringing in the Narendra Modi led BJP government.

Mr Shah was speaking at an interactive session on "Indian Polity - 65 years Scenario & Paradigm Shift Under Modi Ji" organised by 'Samvada' here.

Noting that Congress which contributed in a big way for the freedom struggle is today completely "fallen" into the dynastic system, and its internal democracy has fully eroded, the Union Minister said, Socialist parties too after Lohia era gradually turned into caste based party initially, and then went on to become dynastic parties.

Dubbing the RJD and Samajwadi Party as 'dynastic,' he said, "here too in Karnataka JD(S) is a dynastic party, you can't find anyone in their family who doesn't contest polls, everyone wants contest polls and lead Karnataka, I don't understand as to who runs the house. I'm not opposing them. I'm placing the facts before you." Communist's thinking about the economy is "unnatural and narrow", and this has gradually caused their end globally, he further said, "whereas the Jana Sangh had to fight a long struggle to become Janata Party first and the BJP, but we have kept our ideology and party democracy intact." 

According to him, the Congress party was not born with any ideology, but it was an organisation, to which educated Indians gradually started getting associated with, with a demand for freedom. 

"No one can take away Congress' great contribution in getting freedom for the country, but it did not have an ideology." 

"Congress never had one thinking or ideology, whether it is cultural ideology or economic ideology or ideology with respect to building the nation. All those who wanted freedom got associated with the Congress thinking it to be a platform," he said.

"If I have to say in the modern educated Bengaluru's language, the Congress party was a Special Purpose Vehicle for independence. Congress friends should not take my words in a wrong sense, I'm just trying to explain in a simple way....the only intention was to make the country rid of the British, the whole country was with them on this," he said.

Suggesting that this was the reason why Gandhiji had called for the disbanding of Congress party, after independence as its work was over, the former BJP President said that Gandhi had asked people to form their own party based on their ideology and had said that people will choose their leader.

"But, this did not happen as the credit of getting freedom was in the Congress' account and its leaders then did not want to leave it," he said.

Averring that the ideology of BJP was "cultural nationalism", Mr Shah said, other than India, rest are geopolitical countries, created after war or inventions or partitions, while ours is a "geo-cultural country" formed out of a common cultural ecosystem, and our party fully believes in it.

He said BJP also believes in "integral humanism", and that the deprived and poor have the first right on development, irrespective of their caste or religion, unlike former PM Manmohan Singh, who said minorities should have first right.

Today BJP is the world's largest party with more than 11 crore workers, more than 1,500 legislators, more than 400 MPs and has a government on over 66 per cent land area of this country, he said adding that "as there was courage in our policies or ideology we have reached this far." 

Chief Minister Basavaraj was also present in the event, which was attended by select invitees from various walks of life.

Pointing out that corruption, inflation, crony capitalism, and policy paralysis had engulfed the country before 2014, Mr Shah said, after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister politics was taken away from the privileged towards those potential, and the concept of power for potential was created, bringing in a "paradigm shift".

BJP freed India from, casteism, dynastic and appeasement which had destroyed the country and its policies, he said, as he defended the government's strong decisions like GST, demonitisation, fight against corruption, stating that it was for the good of the people, despite resistance within and the threat of losing the vote bank looming large.

Listing out various policies, initiatives and programmes of the Modi led government for the welfare of the people and in national interest, the Home Minister also pointed to the growth in India's stature globally, and as fifth largest economy.

He spoke about the Modi government's zero tolerance towards terrorism, and also sought to clarify BJP's position on regional languages stating that "Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, are all our languages." 

Pitching for education in mother tongue, he said, "language is not proof for our IQ or knowledge, it is only the expression of IQ or knowledge." 

Advising people to always vote looking at a party and its leadership, Shah said, leadership is not an individual, he is an institution who is associated with the legacy, ideology and development programmes of the party.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)