NEW DELHI: Former PM Manmohan Singh has expressed concern over attempts to change the “nature and character” of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), saying Jawaharlal Nehru did not belong to the Congress alone but to the entire nation.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, Singh urged the PM to leave the Teen Murti complex “undisturbed” and said such an act would not only respect history but also heritage.

“Let us respect this sentiment and keep Teen Murti as a memorial to our first prime minister Pandit Nehru and leave the Teen Murti complex undisturbed as it is. This way, we will be respecting both history and heritage,” Singh wrote. “Jawaharlal Nehru belongs not just to the Congress but to the entire nation. It is in this spirit that I have written to you,” the former PM wrote.

Singh’s letter comes on the back of a slugfest between Con-gress and the BJP government over the latter’s decision to expand NMML beyond Nehru and to build a museum dedicated to all former PMs in the complex. On Monday, Congress threw its weight behind Singh’s words with general secretary Ashok Gehlot accusing Modi of attempting to “erase” Nehru’s role in building India.

