ICHR: Row unnecessary, other posters will have Nehru’s pictures

New Delhi, August 29

Under fire from Opposition parties for “excluding” Jawaharlal Nehru from a poster celebrating the 75th year of independence, the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) has called the controversy “unnecessary”, saying “other posters in days to come will feature India’s first Prime Minister”.

Why is PM silent?

Why is PM silent on omission of Nehru’s picture from ICHR’s celebrations? This goes against all facts and authentic history. He must rise above his prejudices and tell ICHR to fix it. —Jairam Ramesh, Congress leader

“We are not trying to undermine anyone’s role in the movement,” an ICHR official was quoted as saying after senior Congress leaders took to the social media to slam the Narendra Modi government on the issue. According to the official, the poster is one of the many that will be released as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations. An autonomous body, the ICHR has been running a series of lectures and seminars around the theme of Independence struggle to mark the occasion.

Senior Congress leaders, including P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor, have targeted the government, calling it a “deliberate” move. — TNS