Patel birth anniversary: Priyanka’s tweet on BJP ‘trying to appropriate Patel’ irks ruling party

Her attack on the ruling party came on a day when the government organised a series of events across the country to mark Patel’s birth anniversary with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagging off the “Run for Unity” in Lucknow.
Hitting back at Priyanka, the BJP said that it respected everyone who fought for India’s freedom, unlike her party which remembered only those leaders who “belonged” to the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Taking a swipe at the Congress leader, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain wondered if her comments were motivated by “jealousy” as her party never organised any notable event to commemorate Patel’s birth anniversary. “Priyanka Gandhi should know that Patel does not belong to a party but to the country. He is a Bharat Ratna. We respect everyone who fought for India’s freedom. We are not selective like the Congress which remembered leaders only from a family and named institutions, places and schemes only after Nehru, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi,” Hussain added.

Union minister Smriti Irani who was in her constituency, Amethi, to take part in the ‘Run for Unity’ event also targeted the Congress general secretary.

“It is easier to make a comment on Sardar Patel and public of this country through Twitter, but difficult to support the idea of united India promoted by Patel for a party like Congress, which opposed the removal of Article 370… If they respected Sardar Patel, then when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a call, they would have participated in it,” Irani tweeted.

Meanwhile, speaking in Lucknow, CM Adityanath said, “Today, there are many anti-national forces that are active. For their own benefits, these forces are conspiring to divide the country on the basis of caste, religion, region etc. We should not allow them to succeed. The need is to expose such forces.”