Bihar finance and parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary on Wednesday said had (Indian independence activist) JP Narayan been alive today, he would have prepared for a bigger revolution than the one he spearheaded in 1974 due to the prevailing situation in the country.
Taking a swipe at Union home minister Amit Shah, Choudhary remarked “JP’s disciples joining hands with the Congress” indicating the former’s rally at Shitab Diara on October 11.
“JP was not opposed to the Congress, but its dictatorial policies and misuse of power. In fact, on many occasions, JP had praised the policies of late [PM] Indira Gandhi. He played a key role in building international consensus for recognition to Bangladesh after the 1971 India-Pakistan war. His opposition to the Congress was primarily on emergency and he organised a successful movement against the misuse of power and subsequent oppressive politics,” Choudhary said.
Maintaining that the BJP should get the context right, Choudhary said the kind of Congress politics JP was opposed to back then was now ‘visible in more ways than one’.
“Most of the rights of the state have been infringed under the present dispensation at the Centre and the Constitutional system of federalism is under constant attack. Central investigating agencies like Enforcement Directorate, Centra Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax are being unleashed on political adversaries. There is a conscious and concerted effort to change the history of the country,” he said.
Choudhary said there was an urgent need to “understand” JP’s life ‘in the right context’. “Those trampling the ideals of JP are undermining his stature by looking at the great socialist leader from a narrow political prism to limit his vision to Congress opposition. JP was much bigger. He opposed wrong policies and had the heart to be effusive in praise whenever something good happened,” he said.
Shah had attacked Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for “sacrificing” the ideals of JP by frequently switching sides for chair. “Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad have joined hands with the Congress, against which JP launched total revolution. The Narendra Modi government is working on the ideals of JP and Vinoba Bhave… The Antyoday scheme, universal health scheme and various other programmes are an example of this,” he said at the rally.
In response, Kumar said, “Do they know anything about the JP movement? Those who started their journey after 2,000 also speak about JP. Let them say whatever they want.”
