Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 7

A string of top historians today accused the Congress of practising reluctant secularism and of abdicating its responsibility towards Muslims out of fear of alienating the majority, putting the party on the defensive.

“It’s unfair to say that. The biggest force that has fought the RSS for the past 100 years is the Congress. I agree more can be done but to say that the Congress is not fighting for secularism is not fair,” Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said from his seat after majority of participants in a session on “secularism” at the ongoing conclave on Nehruvian vision questioned the party’s “changing priorities”.

Academics Zoya Hassan and Apoorvanand Jha, commentator Badri Raina, activists Shabnam Hashmi and Ram Puniyani, everyone spoke of the Congress’ dilemma on secularism, something the party has been grappling with since its Lok Sabha election loss.

Hassan noted: “The Congress is uncomfortable using the word secularism for the fear of alienating the majority. But it must understand secularism is not a matter of political convenience.” Jha recalled how Congressmen in Maharashtra recently refused to accompany him to riot-hit areas saying they were now seeking out the majority support.

“The Congress can never become the BJP. You should hanker after majority support only if you want to become irrelevant. Stop outsourcing visits to riot-hit sites to Shabnam Hashmi and Ram Puniyani. It’s your job,” Jha cautioned the Congress as top party leaders Rahul, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmad Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad listened pensively.

Even Hashmi, a vocal Prime Minister Narendra Modi critic, publicly said Congress leaders in Gujarat had declined her requests to meet internally displaced Godhra riot victims for the fear of antagonising the majority.

Faced with several searching queries about his party’s credentials, Rahul during his valedictory speech today, assured participants of the Congress’ commitment to “defeat and smash the RSS” which he called a “fascist force out to establish a theocratic state”.

The Gandhi scion cited “limitations of power equations” within the Congress to explain speaker’s concerns but announced a nationwide party campaign against the RSS in the near future. “I defended the Congress when you were all speaking. You will also have to understand that we are forced to deal with power equations and operate within those.

The Congress needs to expand and bring in people like you. Don’t think the RSS has beaten us. It can’t even begin to understand what it will face in the coming days. Secularism is in the blood of Congress leaders. We have to reinvigorate ourselves and you will see that the Congress idea will defeat and smash the RSS,” Rahul said to the speakers who earlier invoked Jawaharlal Nehru’s to remind the Congress of real secularism.