The conference, which sought to highlight the legacy and world view of Nehru, was attended by a host of international leaders and representatives of various political parties from India and abroad.
Maintaining that Nehru was an ancient idea, as old as the great rivers and fields of this country he loved, Rahul Gandhi said he was also a part of living India.
Holding that Nehru's idea of India where a billion people choose their destiny and live in harmony, the Congress Vice President democratic principles are cherished deeply, which Nehru developed and protected.
“And that is why this is a nation where one sixth of humanity lives in peace. I thank you for joining us today because it is especially important that we preserve this India of Nehru's - an India that is secular and tolerant.
Recalling that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who had long opposed Nehru hailed him finally, he said, “But back to the present. Today, what I find troubling is how we can condemn people because the ideas they treasure are not our own.”
He said that Nehru understood deeply that everyone is entitled to their viewpoints and he gave space for his opposition, even when they were practically non-existent.
“At the time when the Opposition was sparse in Parliament, he reached out to them, gave them a feeling that while electorally they may be weak, in his world they were valued partners in nation-building.
“He recognised that every perspective was unique, even those he fought vehemently. He defended the rights of those he did not agree with and never imagined silencing them,” the Congress Vice President said at a time when his party reduced to its worst performance in Lok Sabha polls has been denied Leader of Opposition status in the Lok Sabha.
