CALCUTTA — (PTI): The Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishna Advani criticized Indian President Shankar Dayal Sharma for giving a “certificate” to the communists for their role during the 1942 “Quit India” movement and trying to project the independence struggle as the movement of congress party alone. Advani, who is also the leader of the opposition, expressed surprise that the communists who “ridiculed and taunted” the great leaders of India’s freedom struggle and supported the British, were described as “anti-British revolutionaries” by Dr. Sharma during his speech in the joint session of both houses of parliament in the Central Hall in New Delhi. Advani was here inaugurating Free India” on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the August revolution.
He said during his speech Dr,Sharma quoted the report sent to the British secretary of state in London from Delhi after the workers strike in Ahmedabad, Kanpur and Jamshedpur in which the communists were described as anti-British revolutionaries.
“I, sounded to me as if a had forgotten history. am surprised at the drafting of such a speech. It is not fair to do any wrong to history. History is what it is.”
The BJP leader further said that even now the communists were “not truly repentant” rather they describe it as only a “tactical mistake” on their part.
Article extracted from this publication >> Aug 21, 1992
