Bengaluru Protest: Congress Slams Gandhi Name Removal Amid National Herald Case

The protesters also condemned the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name while renaming the MNREGA scheme, which the party termed an insult to the Father of the Nation.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, addressed the gathering.

Shivakumar alleged that forces aligned with Nathuram Godse's ideology were attempting to erase the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, who sacrificed his life for the country's unity and freedom, and asserted that the Congress would not allow Gandhi's India to be turned into Godse's India.

"In Mahatma Gandhi's name, our government implemented the rural employment guarantee scheme. Under this scheme, the government pays wages for land levelling, cattle shed construction and house construction in rural areas," he said.

"Under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took this historic decision. Now, the BJP government is removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from this scheme. If the BJP has the courage, let them remove Gandhi's image from currency notes as well. Mahatma Gandhi's name is immortal," Shivakumar said.

He challenged BJP leaders and legislators, stating that they had lost the moral right to protest in front of Gandhi statues and should refrain from doing so in the future.

"If you remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from a scheme that provides employment to the poor, you are betraying the nation. When foreign leaders visit India, they first pay respects at Gandhi's memorial. By removing his name, you are killing Gandhi once again," he alleged.

"A major agitation will begin in the state against this. We and the country need Gandhi. Removing his name is an insult. No previous government did this; this government has. The people of the country will respond," he said.

Referring to the National Herald case, Shivakumar said, "The National Herald is a national asset, while hatred is the BJP's asset. Truth never dies; false cases do not last. Today, we are fighting under the slogan 'Satyameva Jayate'."

"Congress is the strength of the nation, and Congress history is the nation's history. Whenever Congress came to power, it framed programmes rooted in the Constitution to shape the country's future," he added.

He recalled major Congress-led initiatives, stating that Indira Gandhi nationalised banks and implemented land reforms, while Manmohan Singh introduced the Food Security Act. In Karnataka, under the leadership of senior leader Motamma, the Congress-led government launched the Stree Shakti programme.

"No government has been able to dismantle these schemes, nor can they remove our five guarantees. These are Congress government programmes," Shivakumar said.

On criticism by Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the invocation of Dr B.R. Ambedkar's name, Shivakumar said the Congress responded by organising the Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Constitution convention.

Highlighting the sacrifices of the Nehru-Gandhi family, Shivakumar said Motilal Nehru belonged to one of the wealthiest families and donated his property to the nation. "If anyone sacrificed property, power and life for this country, it is the Gandhi family," he said.

"Jawaharlal Nehru gave up wealth, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives, and Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi sacrificed power. We are proud to belong to such a party. Thousands of people participated in the recent Delhi protest at their own expense. We will continue this struggle and will not allow the BJP to distort our history," he said, congratulating the participants.

AICC secretaries Abhishek Dutt, Mayur Jaikumar and B.V. Srinivas, MLAs Pradeep Eshwar and Hariprasad, State Mahila Congress president Soumya Reddy, State Youth Congress president Manjunath Gowda, and senior leaders H.M. Revanna, Motamma, Rani Satish, B.L. Shankar, Chandrappa and others participated in the protest.

- IANS