Ahmedabad, Apr 9 (PTI) Nationalism for the Congress means binding people together, while the “pseudo-nationalism espoused by the BJP-RSS” is marred by vitriol and prejudice, the opposition party said on Wednesday and accused its rival of being in a “Machiavellian quest for exploitative power”.

The ‘Nyaypath’ resolution adopted by the Congress at the AICC session here on the banks of the Sabarmati river, took the BJP head-on over its nationalism push, strongly pitched itself as the defender of the Constitution and vowed to “fight back every assault on the federal structure”.

It began by explaining the Congress’ idea of nationalism while accusing the ruling party of abetting religious confrontation and attacks on minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.

“The stark truth is that the targeting of Muslims and Christians is making large sections of them live in fear today, which is not only demeaning but a crime against the Constitution,” the resolution said.

“The amendment to the law on Waqf Boards, the targeting of Church land, and manufactured demonstration outside religious places are all part of this polarising strategy.” The party also asserted that its commitment to secularism was inspired by the age-old traditions of India while the BJP government and its affiliates were “determined to fracture” the core national spirit for “political gain” and “lust for power”.

The Congress is resolutely committed to fighting the politics of religious, linguistic, caste-based, and regional divisions until the last breath, it said.

“We will not allow India to be divided nor will we allow those who seek to divide it to succeed in their diabolical designs. Our path is clear: ‘Nafrat Chhodo, Bharat Jodo’ (Quit hate, Unite India),” said the resolution that was passed at the end of the session by a show of hands.

The Congress asserted that its legacy of sacrifice is intertwined within its path and the history of India has been written in the blood and sacrifice of its workers and leaders.

“What is ‘Nationalism’ for the Congress? Of course, the territorial integrity of India depicts our nationhood. But ‘Nationalism’, in its true sense, signifies the social, political and economic justice as also empowerment of India’s people,” the resolution said.

According to it, nationalism denotes the protection of rights and equity of progress for the marginalised, the oppressed, and the underprivileged.

“It ties the entire nation in the spirit of fraternity and brotherhood. Nationalism is rooted in India’s pluralistic and liberal ethos, in our conduct, our beliefs, and our way of life.

“The idea of nationalism for the Congress is one that binds people together. On the other hand, the pseudo-nationalism of the BJP-RSS seeks to divide the society and our people,” the Nyaypath resolution said.

While alleging that the BJP-RSS model of nationalism aims to erase India’s diversity, it asserted that the nationalism espoused by the Congress is “deeply embedded in our shared heritage”.

The nationalism of the BJP-RSS is marred by vitriol and prejudice, the party claimed.

In a sharp dig at the BJP-RSS, it said that “ironically, the very organisations that stoutly opposed the ‘freedom movement’, especially the Quit India Movement, now claim the contractual rights to issue fake certificates of nationalism.” “The pseudo-nationalism of the BJP-RSS is nothing but sheer opportunism for power. Their goal is not our unifying nationalism, but a Machiavellian quest for exploitative power.

“In order to grab and retain power by any means, they seek to divide the nation along the lines of religion, caste, region, language, attire, and food habits,” the resolution said, adding their “hollow” brand of nationalism is symbolised by “spread hatred, seize power” and “raid, invade and extort donations”.

The path of sacrifice, liberalism and all-encompassing pluralism of the Indian National Congress is truly the embodiment of Indian nationalism, it asserted.

It recalled the words of India’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Jaipur Session of the Congress on December 18, 1948, that the party and the government are committed to ensuring that India becomes a truly secular state, to say that its commitment to secularism has been derived from this affirmation and inspired by the age-old traditions of “India that is Bharat”.

“India’s distinct character lies in its pluralistic culture, unparalleled diversity, and the syncretic Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb. Not only has Indian culture embraced diverse philosophies, thoughts and beliefs for centuries, Constitution enshrines the right of every citizen to freely practice their faith and belief.

“The foundational principle of the Indian Constitution is non-discrimination whether on the basis of religion, caste, language, place of residence, attire or food. This is the core of the Congress Party’s ideology,” it said.

In contrast, the resolution said, the BJP seeks to divide and bifurcate — to foster divisions on the ground of religion by pitching Hindu versus Muslim, to create language divides, to fabricate artificial discord between North and South India or to create caste-based rifts and divisions.

Pitching itself as the defender of the Constitution, the Congress described Manipur as a “painful” example of this constitutional assault.

The resolution accused the BJP government of instigating and crafting the horrific violence. Law and order collapsed and a civil war-like situation existed on the ground, yet the BJP government and its complicit chief minister were permitted to cling to power for months, it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown no inclination to heal the pain and sufferings of the people of Manipur or even visit the state till today, the Congress alleged.

“Our indelible commitment is to fight back every assault on the federal structure like ‘One Nation, One Election’, and ensure restoration of full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, independent and free-thinking processes in our education structure, as also secure a fair and equitable delimitation process,” the resolution read.

“The Congress has worked in the spirit of constructive cooperation and collective efforts, not only with our time-tested political allies but created and sustained the architecture of the ‘INDIA Alliance’ on the commonality of people’s issues, it said.

“We stand committed to continuing this effort even in the future,” it underlined.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, and Jairam Ramesh, among other senior leaders, participated in the session themed “Nyaypath: Sankalp, Samarpan aur Sangharsh”. It was attended by more than 1,700 elected and co-opted AICC members.

This comes a day after an extended Congress Working Committee met here to finalise the session’s agenda and discuss the resolution in detail before its adoption. PTI ASK SKC NSD NSD