Ahmedabad: Accusing the BJP-RSS of carrying out a ‘well-planned conspiracy’ against national heroes, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday asserted that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's ideology was contrary to RSS’ ideas and said it is laughable that today that organisation which ‘has no contribution’ in the freedom struggle claims his legacy.

In his opening address at the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the Sardar Patel Memorial here, Kharge also said that today, attention is being diverted from the basic issues of the country by indulging in communal division.

“On the other hand, oligarchic monopoly is on the path of controlling the government by capturing the resources of the country,” he said, quoting Sardar Patel.

Kharge said organisational strength was important, and mere numbers without the organisation was meaningless. For the last several years, a well-planned conspiracy is being carried out regarding many national heroes, he alleged. “An atmosphere is being created against the Congress party, which has a glorious history of serving and fighting for the country for the last 140 years. This work is being done by those people who have nothing to show as their achievements,” Kharge said. They have nothing to show as their contribution in the freedom struggle, he said, attacking the BJP-RSS.

“They conspired to show that the relationship between Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru was such that the two heroes were against each other. While the truth is that they were two sides of the same coin. Many incidents and documents are witness to their cordial relationship,” he asserted.

Citing a speech of Sardar Patel in Gujarat Vidyapeeth in 1937, Kharge narrated an incident that during that time, Nehru was the president of the Congress and the youth of Gujarat wanted that he be called to campaign in the provincial elections. “Sardar Patel said on March 7, 1937 that ‘The day Gujarat proves its loyalty to the Congress by becoming victorious in this election movement, we will welcome Congress president Nehruji with flowers and welcome him with open hearts’,” Mr. Kharge said, “You can understand from this how much Sardar loved Nehruji. On 14 October 1949, Sardar Patel had said in a book for Nehruji that ‘No one knows better than me the tireless efforts Nehruji has made for the country in the last two difficult years. During this period, I have seen him grow old very fast due to the burden of heavy responsibilities’,” he said.