Congress on Friday strongly objected to the union government dropping Jawaharlal Nehru’s name from the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and renaming it as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library, calling it “pettiness and vengeance” while insisting that such an action cannot belittle Jawaharlal Nehru.
Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said that those who do not have any history are now trying to erase the history of others.
In a tweet in Hindi, he added, “the ill-fated attempt to change the name of the NMML cannot belittle the personality of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India and fearless guardian of democracy.”
He said it only showed the small minded and dictatorial attitude of the BJP-RSS. “The backward thinking of the Modi government cannot reduce the huge contribution of 'Jawahar of Hind' (jewel of India) towards India,” he said.
Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said, “pettiness and vengeance, thy name is Modi. For over 59 years, NMML has been a global intellectual land and treasure house of books and archives. It will henceforth be called the Prime Ministers Museum and Society.”
“What won't Mr Modi do to distort, disparage and destroy the name and legacy of the architect of the Indian nation-state. A small, small man overburdened by his insecurities is the self-styled Vishwaguru,” he said.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said the Teen Murti Bhavan, which houses the NMML, is a historic monument where India's destiny was crafted and the architect of India's post-independence glory was first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
“Erasing his legacy by changing the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is a petty act, which only further diminishes the stature of the current regime. India's every success is achieved on the foundation of Nehru’s vision. India knows that, and removing his name from a museum will not change the revered stature that Nehru ji enjoys in every Indian's heart,” he tweeted.
Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said that the Modi government can remove Nehru's name from the boards but they can't remove the respect which people of this country have for him.