Mumbai: In an apparent attempt to link contemporary politics to pre-Independence history, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Maharashtra is launching a fortnight-long ‘Quit India 2 Swaraaj to Suraaj Movement’ on Tuesday to mark the 74th anniversary of the Quit India movement.

Union minister for information and broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu will join chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at the historic August Kranti Maidan in South Mumbai on Tuesday morning to launch the initiative labelled as “freedom from illiteracy, farmers’ suicides, wastage of water, addiction, and corruption". The Maharashtra government has issued big newspaper advertisements to announce the programme.

However, the opening will see a protest staged by Mumbai’s Congress unit, which is calling the programme “milking of the Quit India Movement" by the BJP, alleging that the party never commemorated the movement earlier.

City Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam told reporters at a press conference on Monday that the Congress workers would stage a protest at the August Kranti Maidan on Tuesday.

Nirupam claimed that the BJP government in the state had usurped the venue, by ensuring that the Congress does not get the required permission to hold a commemorative event. “The BJP has put up its own pandals and stage at the Maidan which is illegal. The Congress party commemorates this day every year in the Maidan, but this is for the first time we have been denied permissions," Nirupam said.

He said the Congress party was in favour of fighting the problems of illiteracy, farmers’ suicides, wastage of water, addiction and corruption, and would even support the government’s efforts to achieve this. But Nirupam questioned the rationale in naming the initiative as Quit India 2 movement, which he alleged was an insult to the original movement.

The Congress leader also raised questions over the BJP and its ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s “propriety" in commemorating the Quit India movement anniversary when they had never observed it in the past. “There has never been an event organised by the BJP and the RSS in recognition of this historic day. In fact when Mahatma Gandhi gave the Quit India call, the RSS opposed the initiative. Why have they now remembered Quit India movement? It is an attempt to re-write history and appropriate a great movement in which they never participated," Nirupam said.

The BJP has, however, justified the event, saying that it has every right to celebrate the Quit India movement and applaud the contributions made by freedom fighters. In a press statement, BJP state unit president Raosaheb Danve said the main event would be held at August Kranti Maidan and similar programmes would be held all over the state. “BJP MPs, MLAs, office-bearers and workers will participate in these events and commemorate the sacrifices made by freedom fighters to achieve freedom," Danve said.

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