Rahul Gandhi’s comment on the IUML was criticised by the BJP, and the Congress responds by citing Advani’s “praise” for Jinnah
The Congress responded to the BJP’s criticism of Rahul Gandhi for calling the Indian Union Muslim League “completely secular” on Friday by claiming that the Muslim League, which the BJP has “more love” for and whose leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah was praised by L K Advani, is not the same party that Gandhi was referring to.
The opposition party also said that it would want to remind the BJP of the fact that Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the head of the Hindu Mahasabha, teamed up with Jinnah’s Muslim League to create the Bengali government under British rule.
Gandhi was questioned about his affiliation with the IUML in Kerala when discussing secularism during a media event at the National Press Club in Washington. He said, “Muslim League is a genuinely secular party. Nothing about the Muslim League is not secular.
The BJP responded angrily to Gandhi’s remarks, alleging that the Kerala party is motivated by the same ideology as Jinnah’s All India Muslim League.
“Shyama Prasad Mookerjee was in league with the Muslim League in the government in Bengal when (Mahatma) Gandhiji launched Quit India movement,” Congress national secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet. The partition of Bengal was entirely the fault of SPM.
He also commented on a tweet from Congressman Amitabh Dubey, who had criticised the head of the BJP’s IT department for his criticism of Gandhi, stating, “You’re confusing the Kerala-based IUML he is talking about with Jinnah’s Muslim League that took Savarkar’s two-nation theory to its logical conclusion.”
“The same Muslim League with whom Hindu Mahasabha and BJP founder SP Mukherjee formed coalition governments in Bengal, Sind, and NWFP (North-West Frontier Province),” Dubey stated.
The chairman of the Congress’ media division, Pawan Khera, blasted the BJP for its criticism and said that the BJP-RSS is more acquainted with Pakistani politics and Jinnah’s Muslim League due to their shared historical ‘jugalbandi’.
People who have completed a political science degree “should have some understanding of the politics of their country,” according to Khera.
He said that Miyan Khan, the son of Indian Union Muslim League founder Muhammad Ismail, was promised a spot in the Indian Army during the war with China. Muhammad Ismail was a member of the Constituent Assembly.
He said that IUML leader E Ahamed had been dispatched to Geneva to represent India on behalf of the NDA administration under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The biggest Sanskrit University in Kerala was founded by IUML. Additionally, the BJP and IUML joined forces for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. Please broaden your knowledge, oh omniscient Vishwaguru of WhatsApp nursery,” Khera said in a Hindi tweet.
Gourav Vallabh responded at a press conference at the AICC headquarters when asked about the BJP’s criticism of Gandhi’s comments that the party Gandhi was referring to was IUML, a recognised political party in India.
Isn’t a legally recognised party in India a secular party? Does the Election Commission register illegitimate parties? I would like to remind the BJP that Syama Prasad Mookerjee did not partner with this party to create the government in Bengal, Vallabh stated.
“That Muslim League of Jinnah, with whom you created the government, is different. When criticising the BJP, he remarked, “Rahul Gandhi hasn’t mentioned the Muslim League, but the point is, you have greater affection for that party, so you believe the party being discussed is the one whose founder was Jinnah.
Asserting that Gandhi had spoken about the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) of Kerala, Vallabh said he would like to inform the BJP members that the former Congress chief was not referring to the Muslim League of Jinnah, whose mausoleum in Pakistan BJP co-founder L K Advani had praised and referred to as “secular”.
“Only that party exists in the BJP’s view. They established Bengal’s administration, therefore their relationship goes back a long way. Many Indian prime leaders, diplomats, authors, athletes, and politicians have visited Pakistan, but none of them have visited Jinnah’s tomb, the speaker said.
Advani received flak from inside his own party in 2005 when he visited Pakistan and hailed Jinnah, the founding father of the bordering nation.
Vallabh reacted angrily to the BJP leaders’ criticism by saying, “So all those who are talking against IUML today should go and question Advani ji. We have covered IUML. Since you collaborated with Jinnah’s Muslim League to build a coalition government in Bengal, this Muslim League is very dear to you, he said.
