Ashwini Kumar Chopra, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP representing Karnal constituency hailed Jawaharlal Nehru as the greatest prime minister India has ever had. Chopra wrote an elaborate article in Punjab Kesari which was republished in The Print. He also derided Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s economic policies.

Calling Nehru and Indira Gandhi “the founders of modern India”, Chopra asserted that the modern history of India cannot be analysed without understanding the role of the two Congress leaders. His comments come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to build a Museum of Prime Ministerson Teen Murti estate in the heart of Delhi. Chopra snubbed Modi by saying that “to include any other Prime Minister in the Nehru Museum is to tamper with the soul of India”.

The BJP lawmaker praised Nehru for pulling India “out of the economic crisis after Independence”. He underlined that the education system created by Nehru enabled students from ordinary families to reach extraordinary heights. Talking about the health sector, Chopra said that Nehru also strengthened the health services in the public sector by establishing institutions like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). However, he lamented that Nehru’s legacy is destroyed today as educational institutions and hospitals are turned into money-making machines.

In a major embarrassment to the saffron party, Chopra highlighted that “Vajpayee used humour to further parliamentary democracy”. Although Vajpayee ruled for six years, he could not reduce financial scams in the country, the Haryana MP wrote.

Chopra’s article busts the BJP’s claims that Congress has not done anything in 60 years. Next time, Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah maybe will think twice before ranting as their own lawmaker has pointed out the greatness of Nehru and India Gandhi.