The Congress on Wednesday, 9 April, said its idea of nationalism binds people together, while the "pseudo-nationalism" of the seeks to divide them.
The party made the assertion in its 'Nyaypath' resolution adopted at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session held in Ahmedabad on the banks of the Sabarmati river. The resolution focuses strongly on defining the party's take on nationalism and contrasting it with that of the BJP.
"Of course, the territorial integrity of India depicts our nationhood. But nationalism, in its true sense, signifies the social, political and economic as also the empowerment of India's people," it said.
In the resolution, the party stated that nationalism denotes the protection of rights and the 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 resolution said.
While asserting that the "BJP-RSS model of nationalism aims to erase India's ", the resolution stated that the nationalism espoused by the Congress is "deeply embedded in our shared heritage, while that of the BJP-RSS is marred by vitriol and prejudice".
Ironically, the very organisations that stoutly opposed the freedom movement, especially the , now claim the contractual rights to issue fake certificates of nationalism, the party said in its resolution.
"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 ," the resolution said.
The BJP's hollow brand of nationalism is characterised by a tendency "spread hatred, seize power" and "raid, invade and extort donations", it claimed.
The path of sacrifice, liberalism and all-encompassing pluralism of the Indian National Congress is truly the embodiment of Indian nationalism, the party's resolution said.
The party also pledged that it would never allow anti-Constitution forces to succeed in their destructive designs.
"Our indelible commitment is to fight back every assault on federal structures like '' and ensure the restoration of full statehood for , independent and free-thinking processes in as also secure a fair and equitable process," the resolution said.
The Congress said it has worked in the spirit of constructive cooperation and collective efforts, "not only with our time-tested political allies but also created and sustained the architecture of the on the commonality of people's issues".
"We stand committed to continuing this effort even in the future," the party added.
