The Congress leader's comments came amid a raging controversy surrounding the renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in the national capital to the Prime Ministers' Memorial Museum and Library (PMML).
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Congress leader and former president of the party, Rahul Gandhi, said on Thursday that his great-grandfather is known more for the work he did in his time and not just for his name.
“Nehru-ji ki pehchaan unke karam hai, un ka naam nahi (Nehru-ji is known for his work and not his name),” he told ANI at Delhi airport before departing for a two-day visit to Leh.
The Congress leader’s comments came amid a raging controversy surrounding the renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in the national capital to the Prime Ministers’ Memorial Museum and Library (PMML).
Earlier, a war of words broke out between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition parties over the renaming of the museum.
Hitting out at the Centre over the decision, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi can never take away the gigantic contributions of Jawaharlal Nehru in the country’s freedom struggle.
Taking to his official handle on X, formerly Twitter, Ramesh posted on Wednesday, “From today, an iconic institution gets a new name. The world-renowned Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) becomes PMML-Prime Ministers’ Memorial Museum and Library. Mr. Modi possesses a huge bundle of fears, complexes and insecurities, especially when it comes to our first and longest-serving prime minister. He has had a single-point agenda of denying, distorting, defaming and destroying Nehru and the Nehruvian legacy.”
Reacting to remarks made by Ramesh, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that for the Congress only Jawaharlal Nehru and his family matters.
“There is a basic difference between the thinking of the Congress party and Jairam Ramesh and PM Narendra Modi. They (Congress) think that only Nehru ji and the family matters. Narendra Modi gave a respectful position to all the PMs of the country at the museum,” he said.
Vice Chairman of PMML’s Executive Council A. Surya Prakash said on Wednesday that the new museum showcases the achievements and the contributions of Nehru to the nation.
“Anyone visiting the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library can see how we have showcased Nehru, his temples of modern India, the Hirakud Dam, Nagarajuna Sagar Dam, his idea of setting up institutes of technology, and Planning Commission in his 17-year tenure as PM at the Teen Murti Bhavan,” he said.
Earlier in mid-June, during a special meeting of the NMML Society, it was decided that its name will be changed to PMML Society. The decision was taken at a special meeting, presided over by Defence Minister and NMML Vice President Rajnath Singh.
