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Sudarshan showers praise on Indira
Tribune News Service

Lucknow, June 19
While the father, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, was censured for being responsible for the ills facing the country, the daughter, Indira Gandhi, received accolades from RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan on Sunday for being the Prime Minister with the most “firm determination”.

“If we go to the root of the problems being faced by the country, we find Nehru is responsible for these,” he said while addressing the concluding ceremony of the Sangh Shiksha Varg at the Laxman Mela grounds on the banks of the Gomti in Lucknow.

Calling him an “English-minded” Prime Minister, he said he was the choice of the erstwhile British rulers as they wanted their “own man” at the helm of affairs so that he could protect their interests.

Much before Independence, a Viceroy, while introducing Nehru to a crowd, had said that he was the future Prime Minister of the country, he said.

Substantiating his point, he claimed when the opinion of the 15 Congress provincial committees was sought for the Prime Minister’s post, not one had supported Nehru’s candidature.

It was the same British who propped Nehru in India and also encouraged Jinnah to demand a separate nation. This was the only mention of Jinnah by the RSS chief.

Significantly, it was the Jinnah controversy that had put BJP president L.K. Advani in a spot barely a week ago and once again clearly established the RSS hold over the BJP.

He termed the UPA government as confused and lacking in determination. He, however, had a word of praise for the “lady of firm determination” Indira Gandhi. Praising her courage to attack Pakistan and carve out Bangladesh, he said she had a strong will even if the ultimate goal was to stick to power.

He criticised the UPA for being “generous and lenient” in its peace initiative with Pakistan. He pointed out that recently Pakistan President Musharraf has stated that finally India has admitted that Kashmir was an international problem. This, Sudarshan underlined, was not India’s position and was a misrepresentation.

Contending that the RSS was being mis-projected as anti-Muslim, he said the Muslims should not be called a minority as India was their home and their roots were in this country.

Blaming the “vote-lalchi rajneta” (vote greedy leadership) for projecting the RSS as a “hauwwa” (monster), he said the Muslims had no reason to be afraid of the RSS.

The Sangh Shiksha Varg that concluded on the occasion of RSS chief’s 75th birthday on early Sunday morning was being run in the city since 20 May. In his hour-long speech, Sudarshan, spoke on a range of subjects, but was extremely restrained about the BJP.

While the entire state leadership, including state BJP president Kesarinath Tripathi, Leader of the Opposition Lalji Tandon and senior leaders Rajnath Singh and Kalraj Mishra, were present, Sudarshan did not meet anyone and left immediately after the speech.