Nehru memorial now PM museum

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 16

The premier research institute, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), housed in the Capital’s Teen Murti Complex, which served as the residence of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, has been renamed as Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library — a move that provoked the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress to hurl “pettiness” barbs at each other.

CANNOT BELITTLE NEHRU’s personality

The renaming of the museum cannot belittle the personality of Nehru, the architect of modern India and a fearless guardian of democracy. Mallikarjun Kharge, cong

After Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the BJP for “trying to erase history”, BJP chief JP Nadda retorted by saying the grand old party was unable to accept that leaders beyond one dynasty had built India.

The proposal to rename the NMML Society (which managed the NMML) as PMs’ Museum and Society was adopted at a special meeting of the NMML Society chaired by its vice-president, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Thursday. The renaming follows the April 21, 2022, inauguration of Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, a museum of all Prime Ministers, at Teen Murti Complex.

PRESTIGE Of EX-PM’s section ENHANCED

In PM Sangrahalaya, every PM has received respect. The section on Pt Nehru hasn’t been altered. On the contrary, its prestige has been enhanced. JP Nadda, bjp

Amid the row, the Culture Ministry today explained that once Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya came up, the NMML Executive Council felt that the name of the NMML Society should reflect the spirit of PM Sangrahalaya depicting the collective journey of democracy and the contribution of each PM in nation-building.

“NMML Executive Council chairman Nripendra Misra yesterday explained the need for a change in name, emphasising that the PMs’ Museum expresses the nation’s deep commitment to democracy and so the name of the institution should reflect its new form. Defence Minister Singh welcomed the proposal,” the ministry’s note stated.

A livid Congress chief slammed the “malicious attempt”, saying “it cannot belittle the personality of Pt Nehru, the architect of modern India and a fearless guardian of democracy”.

“This shows the low mentality and dictatorial attitude of the BJP-RSS. The government’s small thinking can’t reduce the huge contributions of Jawahar of Hind towards India!” Kharge said.

Nadda retorted by saying, “This is a classic example of political indigestion....PM Sangrahalaya was an apolitical effort and the Congress lacks the vision to realise this. In PM Sangrahalaya, every PM has received respect. The section on Pandit Nehru hasn’t been altered. On the contrary, its prestige has been enhanced. For a party, which ruled India for more than 50 years, its pettiness is really tragic. It’s also the reason people are rejecting them.”

AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked the BJP for “small mindedness” even as former PM Chandra Shekhar’s son Neeraj Shekhar called the Congress’ approach to the renaming “horrible”.

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