The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society’s name has been changed to Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society. In doing so the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society’s reference to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru has also been removed. All this has sparked heated political debate.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who serves as the Nehru Memorial Museum And Library Society’s vice president, headed a meeting on Friday. During the meeting it was decided to remove the name Nehru from the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society.
The Prime Ministers’ Museum shows the country’s strong dedication to democracy, thus the name of the institution “should reflect its new form,” Nripendra Misra, Chairman of the Executive Council, said during the Society meeting.
Singh “welcomed the proposal for a change in the name” since, in its current form, the institution “displays the contributions of all prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi and their responses to various challenges faced by them.”
Renaming a building does not erase a legacy, according to the Congress, which described it as an act of “vengeance”.
“Pettiness & Vengeance, thy name is Modi,” said Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who is also in charge of communications. Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) has served as a global intellectual monument and treasure trove of books and archives for more than 59 years. The Prime Ministers Museum & Society will be its new name.
“What won’t Mr. Modi do to misrepresent, denigrate, and destroy the name and memory of the Indian nation-state’s architect? The self-styled Vishwaguru is a little, diminutive man, tormented by his anxieties, Ramesh observed.
The Teen Murti Bhavan, according to Congress General Secretary (Organization) K C Venugopal, is a significant landmark where India’s future was shaped.
“Our first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was the mastermind behind India’s post-independence grandeur. It is a small-minded decision that further devalues the current government, Venugopal wrote on Twitter, to erase his legacy by renaming the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
“Nehru Ji’s vision served as the cornerstone for all of India’s successes. The respected status that Nehru ji has in every Indian’s heart won’t be altered by taking his name out of a museum, he claimed.
According to congressman, Manish Tewari, renaming the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society does not remove its historical legacy.
Tewari said on Twitter that he wished anyone who wanted to downplay Jawahar Lal Nehru’s role in the liberation movement and the development of modern India would take the time to study Glimpses of World History and Discovery of India.
