Patriotism is not your property; stop drama: Cong tells saffron forces

Bengaluru, Aug 22: Slamming saffron forces for their continued protest against Amnesty International over alleged anti-India sloganeering by unknown miscreants, the Congress party has claimed that BJP and ABVP are politicizing the matter and fooling people for selfish gains.

Speaking to the media here on Monday Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president, Dinesh Gundu Rao called the BJP's so called Tiranga Yatra and ABVP's protest as their new dramas to cover up their failures and blunders. “Stop this drama,” he said.

"Patriotism is no one person's property. We also are patriotic. The ABVP and BJP are politicising the Amnesty International case," he said adding that the police was well equipped to initiate action against the NGO if any seditious activity was proved.

Justifying the statement made by home minister G Parameshwara on Amnesty having done nothing seditious, Rao said the statement was misinterpreted.

"When he told that Amnesty according to him had not indulged in any seditious activity, he meant that there was no proof about such activities conducted by the NGO. If there is any proof of seditious activity let the ABVP or the BJP produce it. Our police are quite capable of investigating into the matter and take necessary action," he said.

He said the ABVP was conducting the protests outside the realm of law by not informing the police of their assembly and trying to create a law and order crisis.

"The ABVP and BJP are trying to cover up their mistakes in levelling allegations against Amnesty by conducting these protests," said Rao.

Attacking the Tiranga yatra of BJP, Rao was critical of the saffron party and questioned its contribution to the freedom of the country. "Till 1925, Savarkar was there in the freedom struggle for name sake. But after that he disappears. Such are the freedom fighters which BJP considers as their idol," said the KPCC working president sarcastically.