Congress fumes over name change of Nehru Memorial Museum, BJP says 'classic example of political indigestion'
The name change of the museum which is housed in Teen Murti premises drew sharp reaction from the Congress party which termed it as a "petty act". However, the BJP was quick to react with its dynastic jibe at the Congress.
Nehru Museum name change: The Congress and the BJP have entered into a war of words after the Centre changed the name of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society as Prime Minister's Museum and Library Soceity.
The name change of the museum which is housed in Teen Murti premises drew sharp reaction from the Congress party which termed it as a "petty act". However, the BJP was quick to react with its dynastic jibe at the Congress.
The move to rename the Society comes nearly a year after the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was inaugurated on the premises of the Teen Murti Bhavan, which served as the official residence of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
In a special meeting of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMML), it was resolved to change its name, the Culture Ministry said on Friday. The meeting was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is the vice president of the Society, it said.
In his address at the meeting, Singh "welcomed the proposal for change in name", since in its new form the institution exhibits the contributions of all prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi and their responses to various challenges faced by them, the ministry said in its statement.
Describing prime ministers as an institution and comparing the journey of various prime ministers to the varied colours of a rainbow, Singh emphasised that "all the colours of a rainbow have to be proportionately represented in order to make it beautiful".
"Thus the resolution has given a new name, respect to all our previous prime ministers and is democratic in content," it said.
Congress fumes
The Congress termed it as an act of "vengeance", asserting that legacies don't get erased by renaming buildings. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Pettiness & Vengeance, thy name is Modi. For over 59 years Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) has been a global intellectual landmark and treasure house of books & archives. It will henceforth be called Prime Ministers Museum & Society."
"What won't Mr. Modi do to distort, disparage and destroy the name & legacy of the architect of the Indian nation-state. A small, small man overburdened by his insecurities is the self-styled Vishwaguru," Ramesh said.
Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said the Teen Murti Bhavan is a historic monument where India's destiny was crafted.
"The architect of India's post-independence glory was our first PM Jawaharlal Nehru. Erasing his legacy by changing the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is a petty act, which only further diminishes the stature of the current regime," Venugopal said on Twitter.
"India's every success is achieved on the foundation of Nehru ji's vision. India knows that, and removing his name from a museum will not change the revered stature that Nehru ji enjoys in every Indian's heart," he said.
BJP responds with 'dynasty' remark
Hitting out at the Congress party, BJP President JP Nadda said, "Classic example of political indigestion - the inability to accept a 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."
In a series of tweets, he said, "Congress’ approach to this issue is ironical 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, it’s 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."
BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress is leveling allegations even though its leaders have not yet visited the museum to see how contributions and achievements of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and those of his successors have been showcased in a much better way with use of technology.
He said the museum showcases the contributions and achievements of all the former prime ministers including Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh of the Congress.
"I am deliberately taking the name of their own prime ministers. I can understand if they have some bitterness with Narasimha Rao. But, I want to know what is their problem with the achievements of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Manmohan Singh whose terms as prime minister have been showcased in an organised manner," Trivedi said.
"In their opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they do not hesitate to even insult their own leaders. They are not able to differentiate between their own leaders and others due to 'Modiabind' of Modi's opposition in their eyes," he charged.
Trivedi reminded the Congress how the Modi government celebrated the 125th birth anniversary of Nehru in 2014 after the NDA came to power at the Centre.
"I am surprised and a bit perturbed also (with the Congress' reaction in the matter)," he said and asked, "How many Congress leaders have gone there to see the Nehru Memorial.".
Teen Murti Bhavan was built in the British era
Teen Murti Bhavan, which was built in the British era, served as the official residence of the first prime minister of India soon after Independence.
"Pt. Nehru lived here for more than 16 years until his death on May 27, 1964. This building was so familiar with Jawaharlal Nehru's name that Teen Murti House and Jawaharlal Nehru became more or less synonymous. Therefore, after his death, the government of India decided to convert this house into an appropriate memorial to perpetuate Nehru's eternal passion for enlarging the frontiers of knowledge and enriching the human mind," according to the website of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
It was dedicated to Nehru's memory on his 75th birthday in 1964 by the then president for housing a museum and a library to encourage, support, and patronise higher learning and free intellectual inquiry.
The government also decided that an autonomous body should be set up to manage the affairs of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and thus the Society came into existence on April 1, 1966.