The BJP, and its ideological masters, the RSS claim they are nationalists, but have no leaders who they can claim played a constructive role in the freedom struggle. Their lack of a legacy has forced them to try and appropriate the legacy of Congress stalwarts like Sardar Patel, Neta ji Subhas Chandra Bose and Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar.
It is an old BJP-RSS tactic, which, unfortunately, overlooks the fact that former Congress President Sardar Patel banned the RSS following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
The declassification of Netaji files has been done with an eye on the forthcoming West Bengal elections. In the past, they have tried to lay claims on the legacy of Shri Biju Patnaik in Orissa, Ch. Devi Lal in Haryana and Ch. Charan Singh in Uttar Pradesh.
They even tried to appropriate the legacy of Babasaheb Dr BR Amdedkar and Kanshi Ram, despite the fact that the BJP government is openly pushing an anti-Dalit and anti-poor agenda, which was exposed by the expulsion of Rohith Vemula and his subsequent suicide at the Hyderabad Central University.
The BJP-RSS have long tried to appropriate the word Nationalism, despite promoting a divisive agenda. They are unwilling to acknowledge that India is a plural country, whose true strength is its diversity and ability to accept every opinion.
India is unique in the world, where completely differing identities can come together and forge a nation that is democratic, equal and just. The BJP is trying to destroy this by spreading hatred. They must be stopped before they destroy the idea of India.
