Hyderabad: PCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud has raised questions about the BJP’s claim over the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He pointed out that Patel was a Congress leader and the first Home Minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet. Goud stressed that it was the Communists who were involved in the armed struggle against the Razakars, and there is no evidence of BJP or Jan Sangh playing a role in that fight.
While addressing party members at Gandhi Bhavan during the Praja Palana Day event, Goud spoke after hoisting the national flag. He highlighted that Patel, being a close associate and colleague of Nehru, followed the Prime Minister’s directions at the time. Patel took on the task of merging princely states into India as part of a collective decision of the government.
Goud further pointed out that the BJP had no involvement in the merger of Hyderabad with India or in the independence movement. He argued that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had no connection to the BJP or its ideology. Therefore, the BJP has no right to claim Patel’s legacy or speak on the issue, as they had no historical contribution to either India’s freedom struggle or Hyderabad’s integration. Goud reiterated that it was the Communists who played a key role in the armed struggle, while BJP and Jan Sangh did not participate in the uprising.
