Political slugfest over PM Modi’s ‘Satyagraha for Bangladesh’ remark

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 27

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Friday remarks that he did “Satyagraha” for the freedom of Bangladesh triggered a political slugfest back home with the Congress countering the claim and the BJP posting a citation Bangladesh awarded to late Atal Bihari Vajpayee for “organising a satyagraha to demand the liberation of Bangladesh”.

Congress veteran Jairam Ramesh was the first to question PM’s remark after historian Srinath Raghavan tweeted, “The claim that anyone did satyagraha for the freedom of Bangladesh and were arrested is too ridiculous to require refutation.”

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also countered satyagraha remark in a tweet.

The BJP hit back with the party’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya saying on Twitter, “Was Prime Minister Modi part of a satyagraha organised by the Jana Sangha for the recognition of Bangladesh? Yes, he was. A citation awarded by Bangladesh to Vajpayee ji speaks of the rally. PM Modi, in a book authored in 1978, also wrote about going to Tihar during Bangladesh satyagraha”

The citation Malviya shared is titled, “Bangladesh Liberation War Honour for Atal Bihari Vajpayee”. It reads, “Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee played an active role in support of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. As President of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and a Member of the Lok Sabha, he took various steps towards that end…To press the demand for Indian Government’s expedited support to Bangladesh’s Liberation War, Jana Sangh held a Gana Satyagraha during August 1-11and their volunteers organised a huge rally in front of the Indian Parliament House on August 12, 1971. Vajpayee took a firm stand at national and international levels for the cause of Bangladesh and its striving people.”

As the Twitter back and forth ensued, Srinath Raghavan said the Jana Sangh agitation after the Indo-Soviet treaty in August 1971 was for the recognition of the Bangladesh provisional government and “not a satyagraha for the freedom of Bangladesh”. He also said the Bangladesh provincial government was set up in April 1971 with the support of India but not recognised as it didn’t control the territory in Bangladesh.