Salient points of the press conference of BJP National Spokesperson Dr Sambit Patra (MP)

Salient points of Press Conference of BJP National Spokesperson & Lok Sabha MP Dr Sambit Patra

The misleading politics by Congress and Rahul Gandhi over the demise of Dr. Manmohan Singh is deeply unfortunate and marks a new low in Indian politics set by the Congress party

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Rahul Gandhi, with sheer arrogance, had once torn apart an ordinance passed by the cabinet of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, showing that the Gandhi family does not adhere to his directives

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The Congress, which now claims to honor Dr. Manmohan Singh, had placed a "Super PM" above him, with reports suggesting that all files were first shown to Sonia Gandhi

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Former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's mortal remains were not even allowed inside the Congress headquarters. The Gandhi family ensured that his final rites were not conducted in Delhi

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The Prime Ministers from the Gandhi family honored themselves with the Bharat Ratna, while P.V. Narasimha Rao was denied Bharat Ratna

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The daughter of the former Congress president and President of India, Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, has also revealed that the Congress Working Committee had done injustice to her father. The Congress party did not give him the respect he truly deserved

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Congress party has disrespected Hon’ble leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, P.V. Narasimha Rao, India's first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Even during the farewell of a noble soul, Rahul Gandhi continues to engage in political games with misleading tweets

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As soon as the news of Dr. Manmohan Singh's passing was received, the NDA cabinet wrote a letter to Congress and the family of the departed soul expressing their intention to build a memorial. The letter also mentioned that the process of land acquisition and other steps for the memorial must be completed before the funeral rites are finalized

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There are reports suggesting that following the death of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote a letter instructing the cabinet ministers and officials to refrain from attending his funeral. Similarly, during the funeral of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru was reportedly absent

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Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Dr Sambit Patra addressed a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Saturday. During the press conference, Dr. Sambit Patra criticized Congress for politicizing Dr. Manmohan Singh’s funeral, emphasizing that Congress itself disrespected and tarnished Dr. Singh’s reputation the most during his tenure.

Dr Patra stated that the press conference is being held with sadness, as it marks a new low in the politics of India, thanks to the Congress party. Due to the Congress, a press conference is being held on the funeral of the Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, and nothing can be more unfortunate than this. Dr. Manmohan Singh has made a significant contribution to Indian politics, and the BJP firmly believes that there must be dignity in death. We are not concerned about Dr. Manmohan Singh's party affiliation or his past role. The BJP upholds Bharat Ratna Former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s words: “Chote man se koi bada nahi hota.”

Dr Patra highlighted that Rahul Gandhi recently tweeted alleging that the BJP disrespected Dr. Manmohan Singh by holding his funeral rites at Nigambodh Ghat. However, it is crucial to uncover the truth behind this incident. When Dr. Manmohan Singh breathed his last at AIIMS and the medical bulletin was issued, a cabinet meeting was convened, during which a condolence message was passed. Along with the condolence message, the cabinet also decided that Dr. Singh should be honoured in accordance with his stature. To ensure this, keeping both his funeral and his memorial in mind, the cabinet wrote a letter to the Congress Party and to the family of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, clearly expressing the government's wish to establish a memorial for him, so that his legacy could be remembered by the nation and the world.

BJP National Spokesperson Dr. Sambit Patra stated that it is natural that there is a procedure for building a memorial, such as land acquisition and the formation of a trust. Until these procedures are completed, other rites and cremations cannot be halted and must proceed. This was clearly communicated in writing by the Central Government to the Congress Party and conveyed to Dr. Manmohan Singh’s family. However, the subsequent politics being played by the Congress Party is highly condemnable. It is important to remind the Congress Party that when Dr. Manmohan Singh was among us, serving as Prime Minister, it was the Congress itself that defamed him the most and tarnished his reputation. Rahul Gandhi had publicly torn the ordinance issued by the cabinet led by Dr. Manmohan Singh in an act of sheer arrogance, disrespecting him—a moment witnessed by the entire nation. Furthermore, Sonia Gandhi was known to run a parallel government during Dr. Singh's tenure. Several books have documented instances where files were taken away by secretaries and sent to Sonia Gandhi's National Advisory Council (NAC), an unconstitutional body that often overruled the cabinet. The NAC made decisions on how the country was to be governed, sidelining the elected government, and even Dr. Manmohan Singh was reportedly troubled by this arrangement. It was widely reported in the media that Dr. Singh had, at times, considered resigning due to such overreach and interference.

Dr Patra highlighted that Sharmistha Mukherjee, the daughter of Congress's former leader, former AICC President, and former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, had revealed how the Congress Working Committee had treated her father unjustly. The Congress party claimed that they never mourn the deaths of presidents, but it is not true that they never mourned the death of any president in the past. Sharmistha Mukherjee has revealed several facts today. To prevent Pranab Mukherjee from becoming too prominent and to keep him out of the legacy, Congress did nothing for him. Today, the Congress party is talking about honouring Manmohan Singh, but everyone knows what happened after the death of Congress leader and former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. His mortal remains were not allowed inside the Congress party headquarters. When his body arrived at the gates of the Congress office, the gate was not opened. Both the Congress party president and Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the family controlling the party, clearly refused to allow P.V. Narasimha Rao’s body to enter the Congress premises at any cost.

Dr Patra highlighted that at the time, there was a media controversy where reports mentioned stray dogs wandering around the body of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. He pointed out the audacity of the Congress party in disrespecting a former PM to such an extent that Sonia Gandhi even declared that Narasimha Rao’s final rites should not be held in Delhi, but should instead be conducted outside the city. P.V. Narasimha Rao, the first Prime Minister to serve a full term outside the Gandhi family (from 2004 to 2014), was not even given a place for a memorial or memorial site by Congress. It was the government of the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji that built the “Ekta Sthal” in memory of P.V. Narasimha Rao. The Congress party did not honour P.V. Narasimha Rao with the Bharat Ratna, while all Prime Ministers from the Gandhi family awarded themselves the Bharat Ratna. It was the BJP government in 2024 that conferred the Bharat Ratna on P.V. Narasimha Rao.

Dr Patra pointed out that on December 15, 1950, when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel passed away, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote a letter to his cabinet ministers and officials, directing them not to attend Sardar Patel's last rites. Similarly, when Dr. Rajendra Prasad passed away on February 28, 1963, Nehru was absent from his funeral. This exemplifies the attitude of the Gandhi family and Jawaharlal Nehru towards their own colleagues and friends. When former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away, the Congress party created a highly disrespectful atmosphere against him. In August 2021, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge's son, Priyank Kharge, remarked that “former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to be a heavy drinker.” The Congress party made several tweets about Atal Bihari Vajpayee. AICC Secretary Gaurav Pandhi tweeted about Atal Bihari Vajpayee, stating, “In 1942, like all other members of RSS, Atal Bihari Vajpayee boycotted the Quit India Movement and acted as a British informer, reporting against those who participated in the Andolan. Whether it was the Nellie massacre or the demolition of Babri, Vajpayee played an important role in inciting mobs. Additionally, there's a reason why BJP leaders today, like Modi, associate with Gandhi, Patel, and other Congress leaders, but not with Savarkar, Vajpayee, or Golwalkar — they know the truth.”

BJP National Spokesperson Dr. Sambit Patra highlighted that the Congress party has leveled multiple accusations against Atal Bihari Vajpayee. There were several objectionable tweets from Congress party members, including one from a journalist associated with Congress who tweeted, “Atal Bihari Vajpayee is finally dead, embrace all the roadblocks, Delhi folks.” Congress party- disrespected Atal Bihari Vajpayee, P.V. Narasimha Rao, and Dr. Manmohan Singh, and even leaders like Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Sardar Patel. While the nation was mourning and bidding farewell to a noble soul, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party continued with their political agenda by spreading misleading and false tweets. This is the true nature of Congress and Rahul Gandhi.

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