Nehru Memorial Museum renaming: BJP, Congress exchange 'pettiness' barb

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, June 16

The renaming of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library as PMs’ Museum and Society triggered a massive war of words between the Congress and the BJP on Friday, with both parties rushing to accuse each other of pettiness.

Moments after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the move accusing the government of a “malicious attempt to erase history by dropping Pt Nehru’s name from the project”, BJP president JP Nadda regretted the grand old party’s “pettiness.”

“Classic example of political indigestion- the inability to accept the simple fact that there are leaders beyond one dynasty who have served and built our nation. PM Sangrahalaya is an effort beyond politics and Congress lacks the vision to realise this. Congress’ approach to this issue is ironic considering their party’s only contribution is to erase the legacies of all previous PMs to ensure that only the legacy of one family survives. In PM Sangrahalaya, every PM has got respect. Section relating to Pandit Nehru hasn’t been altered. On the contrary, its prestige has been enhanced. For a party which ruled India for over 50 years, their pettiness is really tragic. It’s also the reason people are rejecting them,” Nadda said, tagging Kharge who had earlier tweeted against the renaming of the complex.

Kharge said those with no history of their own (BJP) have gone on to erase the history of others.

“The malicious attempt to change the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library cannot belittle the personality of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India and a fearless guardian of democracy. This only shows the low mentality and dictatorial attitude of BJP-RSS. The dwarf thinking of the Modi government cannot reduce the huge contribution of ‘Jawahar of Hind’ towards India!” said Kharge.

The row erupted after the NMML Society at a meeting chaired by its vice-president, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Thursday adopted a resolution to rename NMML to acknowledge the contributions of all prime ministers.

The adoption came on a day when the Congress-led Karnataka government in a Cabinet decision resolved to repeal anti-conversion law the erstwhile BJP government had brought, and drop chapters on RSS founder KB Hedgewar and Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar from state history books.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar’s son Neeraj Shekhar also today attacked the Congress for questioning the NMML renaming decision.

“My father, former PM Chandra Shekhar Ji always worked for national interest. He even worked with Congress but they NEVER looked beyond one dynasty. Now, when PM Narendra Modi has honoured Prime Ministers across party lines, Congress is getting agitated. Horrible attitude,” Shekhar tweeted posting pictures of his own visit to PM Sangrahalaya, which celebrates the life and times of all Indian Prime Ministers starting from Pt Nehru to Modi.

Earlier today, the BJP earlier asked why the Congress had problems with the celebration of the legacies of former PMs Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, who were the party’s own leaders.

“I can understand their reservations with Narasimha Rao. But, what is their problem with the achievements of Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh whose prime ministerial terms have been showcased in the Sangrahalaya in an organised way…Also have the Congress leaders visited the Sangrahalaya to see the richness with which all Indian PMs have been showcased there?” asked BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshii Trivedi.

Trivedi said in their opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress does not hesitate to even insult their own leaders.