Finest traditions of our parliamentary democracy being damaged: Sonia

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday targeted the BJP government for allegedly rewriting history. Sonia made the comments on the 137th Foundation Day of the Congress.

She was quoted by ANI as saying, “Divisive ideologies anchored in hate and prejudice and which had no role whatsoever to play in our freedom movement now causing havoc on the secular fabric of our society.”

Without explicitly naming the BJP, Sonia said, “They're rewriting history to give themselves a role they don't deserve. The finest traditions of our parliamentary democracy are being deliberately damaged. Congress will fight these destructive forces.”

Sonia also declared the Congress would continue opposing the government despite its recent history of electoral setbacks. “Electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring and lasting is our commitment to the service of all people...,” she said.

Earlier in the day, the Congress was embarrassed after the party flag that Sonia was unfurling fell off the flagpole at the AICC headquarters in Delhi.

However, Sonia Gandhi along with party treasurer Pawan Bansal and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal quickly held the party tricolour in their hands and displayed it briefly.

She then unfurled the tricolour after a Congress worker had strung the flag from the pole.

The Congress president was visibly upset at the faux pas and was seen enquiring with a party worker conducting the proceedings whether the flag was firmly in place when she came to unfurl it for the second time.

A senior leader said the party leadership expressed displeasure at the turn of events and asked those in-charge of organising the function to be more careful in the future.

Incidentally, Congress managers had put up a higher steel flagpole instead of a shorter one usually seen at the party headquarters.