india

Updated: Nov 07, 2019 03:50 IST

The rejig in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMML) has led to a political row between the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the former alleging that the government wanted to destroy the legacy of the first prime minister, while the latter said that Jawaharlal Nehru did not belong to a single party.

Dr Karan Singh, one of the founding members of NMML and a former chairperson of its executive committee whose name was dropped from the society, said, “They want to throw out all those who are connected to the legacy of Nehru and put in people who do not even want to utter his name.” He recalled how, after Nehru passed away, Indira Gandhi , Padmaja Naidu, PN Haksar, others, including Karan Singh himself, decided that the Teen Murti Bhawan would be turned into a memorial. “With a legacy that spans five decades, the place represents not just Nehru, but is a repository of the modern Indian freedom movement,” he said.

Policy researcher Anirban Ganguly, who was named as a member of the society, took to Twitter to say that he was astounded by Dr Singh’s reaction. “PM Modi spent an entire day in Puducherry for the inauguration of the 50th anniversary celebration of Auroville last year (2018) with Dr Karan Singh as chairman, displaying deference. It is Congress party and its first family which has destroyed institutions (sic),” Ganguly tweeted.

In reply, Dr Singh said it did not matter if he was part of the NMML Society. “...But this is now a question of my being there, why are people attached to Nehru being removed.”

Union culture minister Prahlad Patel said that the controversy was uncalled for. “The memorial is now a museum for all former PMs. It hasn’t happened today, it happened years ago, it’ll soon be inaugurated,” said Patel.