Congress Criticizes RSS Commemoration with Coins and Stamps

In a sharp rebuke to the ruling party, Congress leader Pawan Khera criticized the government's decision to release a commemorative postage stamp and coin honoring the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Khera asserted that despite the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) attempts at historical revisionism, India's identity remains intrinsically linked to Mahatma Gandhi.

Khera took to X to mock the BJP, suggesting that a Rs 60 coin should have been issued, corresponding to the pension amount received by freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar from the British government. He further remarked that postage stamps featuring the British Post would be more fitting, given Savarkar's mercy petitions. Khera underscored Gandhi's enduring influence, asserting that the RSS-BJP ideology would be marginalized once the party is out of power.

The government recently unveiled a special Rs 100 coin featuring the national emblem and a depiction of Bharat Mata, alongside the guiding motto of the Sangh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted the historical significance of this gesture, emphasizing Bharat Mata's first appearance on Indian currency and recalling the 1963 Republic Day parade as captured in the commemorative stamp.