BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has accused the Nehru-Gandhi family of mistreating Hindus, specifically alleging that Indira Gandhi used brute force to suppress peaceful sadhus protesting against cow slaughter near the Parliament in 1966.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey Targets Congress Over 1966 Agitation
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Saturday, in a scathing attack on the Congress party, said that the Nehru-Gandhi family has always regarded Hindus as second-class citizens. He was mainly referring to the 1966 anti-cow slaughter agitation outside Parliament. In a post on X as part of his ongoing “Congress’s Dark Chapter” series, Dubey alleged that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi used brute state force to suppress peaceful sadhus protesting for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter. He noted that saint Karpatri Maharaj, along with Bharatiya Jana Sangh MP Rameshwaranand, met with Indira Gandhi in 1966, proposing a ban on cow slaughter, but the former Prime Minister refused to impose it.
“On November 7, 1966, Article 48 of the Constitution, under Dr. Ambedkar’s leadership, proposed a ban on cow slaughter. In keeping with this, India’s great saint, Karpatri Ji Maharaj, met Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in February 1966, along with Bharatiya Jana Sangh MP Rameshwaranand Ji. In March 1966, the two met with the then Home Minister, Gulzarilal Nanda, but the 1967 elections were approaching. Congress saw Hindu-Muslim divisions in Mother Cow, so Indira Ji refused to implement the ban,” he said.
Allegations of Brutality and Cover-up
According to the BJP MP, when thousands of sadhus led by Swami Karpatri Ji Maharaj assembled on Delhi’s Parliament Street on November 6-7, 1966, the administration responded with force. “On November 6–7, Swami Karpatri Ji Maharaj began a protest on Parliament Street with thousands of sadhus. The result was that Indira Ji brutally ordered gunfire on the unarmed sadhus. Hundreds of sadhus were killed, and their bodies were made to disappear,” he said.
Committee Formation and Alleged Inaction
Dubey further said that the incident caused massive outrage and protests nationwide. He asserted that Indira Gandhi sought the support of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to neutralise the agitation. To prevent the political fallout, the administration removed the then Home Minister Gulzarilal Nanda and established a judicial committee with the then RSS chief MS Golwalkar. He added that the commitee members included Golwalkar, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Amal Sarkar, who was entrusted with the leadership of the commitee, Shankaracharya of Puri, and Verghese Kurien of Amul Dairy.
“Protests, demonstrations, and hunger strikes spread across the country. To suppress the atmosphere of lawlessness and the anti-Hindu mindset, Indira Gandhi Ji enlisted the support of @RSSorg. First, she removed Home Minister Gulzarilal Nanda from office. Then, to investigate the ban on cow slaughter and the reasons for the deaths in the shooting, she formed a judicial committee with the RSS chief, the honourable Golwalkar Ji. Its leadership was entrusted to former Supreme Court Chief Justice Amal Sarkar Ji. Its members were RSS chief Golwalkar Ji, the Shankaracharya of Puri, and Verghese Kurien of Amul Dairy,” he said.
Further, the BJP MP charged that the panel was deliberately rendered ineffective and no meetings were held; hence, no office was established, and no report was formed. “The committee held no meetings, established no office, and, naturally, produced no report. The Nehru-Gandhi family has always regarded Hindus as second-class citizens and has never missed an opportunity to persecute them,” he said.
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