UNI

New Delhi, Apr 17: The Congress has justified party MP Rahul Gandhi's remark taking credit for the Gandhi family for dismemberment of Pakistan, saying he had only talked of history referring to a war which was thrust on India by that country.

"All parties have been highlighting the achievements of their leaders during their poll campaigns. It is but natural,"Congress Spokesman Satyavrat Chaturvedi said, adding it was not a pre-meditated remark.

"Right from the BJP to BSP and Samajwadi Party all have been talking of the achievements of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Kanshi Ram and the late Ram Manohar Lohia respectively during poll campaigns. What is then wrong in Mr Gandhi talking of a fact of history referring to the ultimate result of Bangladesh war which was thrust on us," Mr Chaturvedi asked talking to mediapersons here.

Subsantiating his claim that Pakistan had thrust the war on India, he recalled that it was the bombardment of Agra and Chaklala in 1971 by Pakistan which provoked the Bangladesh war, which ultimately resulted in the dismemberment of Pakistan.

Rebutting the Opposition charge of the Congress promoting dynastic policy, Chaturvedi read out a long list of senior leaders from different parties promoting their sons or daughters into politics to emphasise that this was a phenomenon evident in all political parties without exception. The list containing the names of Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pramod Mahajan, Rajmata Scindia, Kalyan Singh and Jaswant Singh, among others, who promoted their offsprings to come to politics was distributed among journalists.

"The question of promoting dynastic politics would arise if somebody from the family is nominated to a position but if he or she comes up on his or her own through election after getting the endorsement of the people, it can not be dubbed as dynastic," he argued.

Chaturvedi pointed out that a galaxy of Congress leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose, Moti Lal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Indira Gandhi and Maulana Azad and Kamala Nehru had participated in the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru. The entire families used to be in jail in those days.

Claiming that it was nothing pre-meditated on the part of Mr Rahul Gandhi to have referred to the dismemberment of Pakistan, the Congress Spokesman said raising the issue was natural in view of the theme picked up by Mr Gandhi in his speech.