NAINITAL:

, the BJP MLA from Khanpur in

, who had stoked controversy over a fortnight ago with his remarks on Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, continued his tirade against the two at a press conference in

Nainital

during which he circulated a letter that he had written to CM

in which he termed Nehru, the country’s first Prime Minister, as ‘characterless.’

“Nehru used to ridicule Hindu religion and he is the one responsible for forced migration of Kashmiri pandits from the Kashmir valley,” the MLA alleged.

Earlier, in a press meet at Dehradun on April 16, Champion had termed Nehru “a day-dreamer because of whom India lost the 1962 war against China, and was riddled with the Kashmir problem and Article 370.”

In the same press conference, the lawmaker had also hit out at Mahatma Gandhi, alleging that Gandhi had made a mistake by not making Muhammad Ali Jinnah the country’s first prime minister, and that he did not deserve to be called ‘father of the nation.’ Continuing in a similar vein at Nainital, Champion alleged that he had written in his letter, “Mahatma Gandhi used to harbour jealousy for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Gandhi hatched a conspiracy against democracy, and snatched away power from the worthy, and gave it to the unworthy.”

The MLA further wrote. “Over 72,000 people were martyred in the struggle for freedom which did not happen just by the spinning wheel of Gandhi. It is tragic that due to the culture of ‘hero worship’ prevalent in our country, we remained chained to slavery of Congress party which indulges in dynastic politics.”

His letter also mentioned the Indian National Army of Subhash Chandra Bose, and Bose’s confrontation with Mahatma Gandhi in 1932-33. Invoking events that unfolded after independence, the MLA wrote about the

, Kashmir dispute and “how Gandhi and Nehru messed up the situation.”

He concluded by saying that he had requested the CM and PM that Ambedkar should be designated as ‘father of the nation’ because “he had contributed more towards nation-building.”

Commenting on his ongoing tussle with Desraj Karanwal, another MLA from the BJP, he said, “The honourable chief minister is like my elder brother and I respect him a lot. Also, I am a tiger and not afraid of anything or anyone.”

Notably, both Karanwal and Champion had been embroiled in a bitter verbal feud with each other last month as a result of which they had been served notices by the state BJP. Both of them subsequently met CM Rawat at his residence in Dehradun after which the party had claimed that the matter was now resolved. However, a few days later, Champion again hit out at Karanwal. The party has now formed a 3-member committee to look into the issue and warned of “strict disciplinary action against those found guilty.”