Bhubaneswar, : The Odisha Congress on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Union Government, accusing it of systematically maligning the image of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Pradesh Congress Committee leaders said the party would not tolerate any attempt to “insult Gandhi or distort India’s freedom struggle.”
Speaking on the occasion, senior spokesperson Rajani Kumar Mohanty alleged that the ruling party at the Centre was encouraging propaganda through distortions in NCERT textbooks, where Gandhi and the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were shown as responsible for India’s Partition. “This is not just an insult to Gandhi and Nehru, but to the sacrifice of every freedom fighter and citizen of India,” Mohanty said.
Tracing the ideological history of the ruling party, he accused it of being rooted in collaboration with colonial powers. “From Savarkar to Hindu Mahasabha, those who opposed secularism and sided with divisive politics are now being projected as heroes, while Gandhi is defamed. The truth is Partition was driven by the Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha, RSS, and their disruptive activities,” Mohanty asserted.
Congress Media Cell Chairman Aravind Das alleged that the Modi Government was deliberately cultivating an anti-Gandhi narrative across the country. “They are promoting hatred and rewriting history through propaganda,” he said, warning that the Congress will strongly resist such moves.
The leaders further alleged that while Vinayak Damodar Savarkar had sought clemency from the British and even accepted pension, today he is celebrated as a freedom fighter, whereas Gandhi is wrongly accused of dividing the nation.
The press conference was also attended by senior Congress leaders including Manoranjan Dash, Dr. Debasish Bhuyan, and Nalinikanta Mohanty.
