Nehru’s birth anniversary

Bypassing parliamentary and democratic traditions, presiding officers of both Houses of Parliament and top ministers skipped the function held to pay tributes to the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary. While Congress president Sonia Gandhi attended the ceremony at the Central Hall in Parliament along with other senior party leaders, both PM Modi and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu preferred to tweet their tribute along with Rahul Gandhi. Political differences aside, parliamentary democracy is about setting aside ideologies and coming together to work for the common weal in an atmosphere where debate and dissension are de rigueur and therefore the physical presence of senior leaders at the event would have been in keeping with a healthy precedent.

The BJP has been persistent in its attack on Nehru, holding his policies responsible for problems in Kashmir or in relations with China, even as it has been vocal in recognising the contribution of Sardar Patel. It was only recently in his Independence Day speech that PM Modi mentioned Nehru along with Patel and Ambedkar in a conciliatory manner for the ex-PM’s role in nation-building. For the BJP that has been at the helm for some time now and under different prime ministers, it would do well to remember that it is political and cultural pluralism that has helped bring political parties to power and sustain them. Departure and deviation from them are no guarantee of continued political success. For the Congress, too, it is important for its leaders to revere their icons. Criticism is a given in a democracy and Nehru was also no exception, facing it from his own party leaders. Former PM Vajpayee, who made his political debut in Nehru’s time, had famously described him as a combination of ‘Churchill and Chamberlain’ which was not taken as offensive.

But it is not just political sparring, recent times have seen parliamentary traditions being undermined, reflected in curtailed sessions, fewer debates and normal lawmaking procedures being bypassed. While Covid-19 and the lockdown were exigencies, Parliament needs to retain its traditions to continue to reflect the voice of the people.