Indira & Rajiv Gandhi assassinations, not martyrdom but accidents, says Uttarakhand minister

New Delhi: Uttarakhand minister Ganesh Joshi stoked controversy on Tuesday, with his objectionable remarks on the assassination of former Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi.

Ganesh Joshi said that martyrdom is not the monopoly of Gandhi family and the grand old party must refrain from grandstanding over the death of Indira & Rajiv Gandhi and drawing sympathy from citizens. He said that what happened with Gandhi family was mere accident.

“I pity Rahul Gandhi’s intelligence. Martyrdom is not Gandhi family’s monopoly. India’s struggle for Independence saw the martyrdoms of Bhagat Singh, Sawarkar and Chandra Shekhar Azad. What happened with the members of the Gandhi family were accidents. There is a difference between accidents and martyrdom,” Joshi said.

Joshi told this while speaking to media on questions about Rahul’s concluding speech at the Bharat Jodo Yatra conclusion.

Ganesh Joshi also stated that Congress party should be thankful to Modi government for successful & smooth culmination of Rahul’s Yatra in J&K as it is this government which worked rigorously to stamp out terror from the region.

The controversial statement by Uttarakhand minister prompted strong counter from Congress party, with the latter lambasting the BJP leader for demeaning & discrediting the sacrifice of former Prime Ministers.

Rahul Gandhi, while speaking at the end of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar had said that those who incite violence will never understand the pain of loss.

“Those who incite violence – like Modiji, Amit Shahji, the BJP and the RSS – will never understand this pain. The family of an Army man will understand, the family of the CRPF personnel who were killed in Pulwama will understand, Kashmiris will understand that pain when one gets that call,” he reportedly said.