Modi faces backlash after Nehru's name dropped from historic museum
Congress leader Manish Tewari on Friday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre, saying, "Legacies don't get erased by renaming buildings." His reaction came after the Indian Express reported that the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) will now be called the Prime Ministers' Museum and Society. The decision was taken by the NMML society, whose chairman is PM Narendra Modi.
Small man overburdened by insecurities: Congress's jibe at Modi
In a tweet, Tewari said, "I wish those who want to erase Jawaharlal Nehru's contribution to the freedom struggle and building of modern India would once read Discovery of India and Glimpses of World History to fathom the depth of Nehru." Meanwhile, another Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh, called PM Modi "a small, small man overburdened by his insecurities, and is a self-styled vishwaguru."
Check out Tewari's tweet
Here's Ramesh's Twitter post
Name drop decision presided over by Rajnath Singh
According to the Indian Express, the decision to remove Nehru's name from the museum was made during a special meeting of the NMML society on Thursday, which was presided over by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who is also the NMML society's vice-president. The society has 29 members, which also include Union ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan, G Kishan Reddy, and Anurag Thakur.
Museum was inaugurated on Nehru's 75th birth anniversary
The museum is part of Delhi's Teen Murti House complex, the official residence of Nehru for 16 years. After his death on May 27, 1964, the government decided to dedicate the place to him and house a museum and a library. On Nehru's 75th birth anniversary on November 14, 1964, the museum was inaugurated, and two years later, the NMML society was set up.
Manmohan Singh raised concerns about new museum
In 2016, PM Modi suggested the idea of setting up a museum dedicated to all Indian prime ministers on the NMML premises. On April 21, 2022, the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was built on the campus and was inaugurated by Modi amid backlash from the opposition. Notably, former PM Manmohan Singh had also raised concerns about the BJP government's "agenda."
