The Congress party reminded the BJP that Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the president of the Hindu Mahasabha, had aligned with Jinnah's Muslim League to form the government in Bengal during British rule.
The Congress party on Friday responded to the Bharatiya Janata Party's criticism of Rahul Gandhi's statement about the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) being "completely secular." Its leaders clarified that the party that Rahul Gandhi referred to was different from the Muslim League associated with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, whom LK Advani had praised.
The Congress party reminded the BJP that Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the president of the Hindu Mahasabha, had aligned with Jinnah's Muslim League to form the government in Bengal during British rule.
Rahul Gandhi's comment sparked a strong reaction from the BJP, claiming that the Kerala-based IUML shares the same ideology as Jinnah's Muslim League.
Jinnah’s Muslim League, the party responsible for India’s partition, on religious lines, according to Rahul Gandhi is a ‘secular’ party.
Rahul Gandhi, though poorly read, is simply being disingenuous and sinister here…
It is also his compulsion to remain acceptable in Wayanad. pic.twitter.com/sHVqjcGYLb
Congress leaders, including Jairam Ramesh and Amitabh Dubey, pointed out the historical association between the Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League. The Congress party's media department head, Pawan Khera, criticized the BJP-RSS for their knowledge of Pakistani politics and their historical connections with Jinnah's Muslim League.
"IUML established the largest Sanskrit University in Kerala. The BJP also made an alliance with IUML for Nagpur Municipal Corporation. The omniscient Vishwaguru of WhatsApp nursery, please enrich your knowledge," Khera said in a tweet in Hindi.
Khera highlighted the contributions of the Indian Union Muslim League in India, such as the involvement of its founder, Muhammad Ismail, in the Constituent Assembly and their support during the war with China. He also mentioned the BJP's alliance with the IUML in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and the representation of IUML leader E Ahamed in Geneva.
▪️ इंडियन यूनियन मुस्लिम लीग (IUML) के फाउंडर इस्माइल संविधान सभा के सदस्य थे।
▪️ चीन से युद्ध के दौरान उन्होंने अपने बेटे मियां खान को भारतीय सेना में शामिल करने की पेशकश की।
▪️ अटल जी ने IUML के मंत्री ई अहमद को भारत का प्रतिनिधित्व करने जिनेवा भेजा था।
▪️ IUML ने केरल में… pic.twitter.com/Yh0djN8PYx
Gourav Vallabh, during a press conference, clarified that Rahul Gandhi was referring to the IUML of Kerala, a registered political party in India, and not Jinnah's Muslim League. He criticized the BJP for assuming otherwise due to their historical connection and affinity towards Jinnah's Muslim League.
Vallabh mentioned LK Advani's visit to Jinnah's mausoleum in Pakistan, which had caused controversy within the BJP in 2005. He urged those criticizing the IUML to seek clarification from Advani, emphasizing that Rahul Gandhi's statement was specific to the Indian Union Muslim League.
"In the BJP's mind, only that party is there. It is an old friendship as they formed the government in Bengal. Many prime ministers of India, many diplomats, writers, sportspersons, politicians have gone to Pakistan but who went to Jinnah's mausoleum," he said, adding, "So all those who today are talking about IUML should go and ask Advani ji. We have talked about IUML. The Muslim League that is close to your heart is Jinnah's Muslim League because you formed a coalition government with it in Bengal."