New Delhi: The Congress on January 31 termed as "scandalous" Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief K S Sudarshan's blaming Mahatma Gandhi for the partition of the country and charged it was the sangh parivar fountainhead which played the role of "stooge" of British imperialists.

"It is highly objectionable that RSS chief Sudarshan is trying to denigrate greatest contributions made by Mahatma Gandhi....while historians all over the world have blamed Jinnah for the partition of India, RSS is blaming Gandhiji," party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy told reporters.

"While it is scandalous to equate Gandhiji with Jinnah," he said it is also equally scandalous that RSS deliberately failed to refer to "divide and rule" policy of the British.

Reddy alleged the RSS "played the role of stooge for the British imperialists and never lent support to the freedom struggle and none of its leaders including K B Hedgewar, M S Golwarkar or Balasaheb Devras participated or courted arrest during the struggle".

"It was, therefore, not proper for RSS and those who have no contributions in the freedom struggle to downplay the contributions of Gandhiji in the historic era which saw India emerging a free and sovereign nation," he added.

PTI