Mandvi (Gujarat): Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on September 4 launched a scathing attack on Congress accusing it of showing disrespect to patriots and revolutionaries.

"Only God can forgive the Congress for its Agyan (lack of knowledge)," he said while addressing a massive rally marking the culmination of Veeranjali Yatra bringing Shyamji Krishna Verma's ashes from Geneva.

"This thinking is not right. The Congress had earlier boycotted Vir Savarkar's function and now it is opposing Shyamji Krishna Verma's function," he said.

Preferring not to compare the present Congress with the earlier one, Advani said he could only ask God to forgive Congress for their "Agyan".

Regretting that for a long time neither was Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel's jayanti celebrated nor the name of a revolutionary taken, Advani said there might be differences among political parties but there should not be any in showing respect to those who fought for the country's freedom.

Asserting that many people in politics even today thought of "samaj kalyan", Advani alleged that those in power earlier had thought more about their family and power than the country's progress.

Even after 50 years of independence, the country was faced with problems in basic amenities like water, schools, hospitals and roads, he said adding that one of the reasons could be less attention on patriotism.

PTI