Renaming of Nehru Memorial Museum sparks war of words between Congress, BJP

NEW DELHI: The renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society in New Delhi to the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society has led to a war of words between Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

On Friday, the Cultural Ministry decided to rename the society situated at Teen Murti Bhavan following a meeting presided over by Union Defence minister Rajnath Nath, who is also the vice-president of the Society.

“In a special meeting of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society, it was resolved to change its name to Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society. The Special Meeting was presided over by Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, who is the vice-president of the Society,” the Culture ministry stated.

The renaming has invited sharp criticism from Congress, which took to Twitter to express their displeasure.

जिनका कोई इतिहास ही नहीं है, वो दूसरों के इतिहास को मिटाने चले हैं !

Nehru Memorial Museum & Library का नाम बदलने के कुत्सित प्रयास से, आधुनिक भारत के शिल्पकार व लोकतंत्र के निर्भीक प्रहरी, पंडित जवाहरलाल नेहरू जी की शख़्सियत को कम नहीं किया जा सकता।

इससे केवल BJP-RSS की ओछी…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 16, 2023

“Those who do not have any history have gone to erase the history of others,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted. “The ill-fated attempt to change the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library cannot belittle the personality of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India and fearless guardian of democracy,” he added.

“It could easily have been renamed the Nehru Memorial Prime Ministers’ Museum, to be all-inclusive without seeming to demean the original. There’s some value in respecting the past. One day, today’s rulers will also be history, and they will want to receive the respect they shamefully denied their predecessors,” he further added.

Pettiness & Vengeance, thy name is Modi. For over 59 years Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) has been a global intellectual lamdmark and treasure house of books & archives. It will henceforth be called Prime Ministers Museum & Society. What won’t Mr. Modi do to distort,…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 16, 2023

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, tweeted, “For over 59 years, the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) has been a global intellectual landmark and treasure house of books and archives. It will henceforth be called the Prime Minister’s Museum and Society.”

“What won’t (PM) Modi do to distort, disparage and destroy the name and legacy of the architect of the Indian nation-state,” Ramesh added.

Reacting to Congress’ comments, BJP MP and son of late PM Neeraj Shekhar said, “My father, former PM Chandra Shekhar, always worked for the national interest. He even worked with Congress, but they never looked beyond one dynasty. Now, when PM Narendra Modi honours Prime Ministers across party lines, Congress is getting agitated.”

Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s residence, Teen Murti Bhavan, was established as the “Nehru Memorial Museum & Library” in his memory. The central government has changed the name from “Nehru” in an attempt to appease the agenda of extreme Hindu nationalism.

Narendra… pic.twitter.com/6xV363i3ML

— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) June 16, 2023

“Horrible attitude! I want to ask all Congress leaders, how many times they have even been to the PM Museum. Has either Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi ever been there? Their inability to accept the fact that people beyond one dynasty have built our nation is perverted and deserves unequivocal condemnation,” he added.

“Forget honouring Prime Ministers, Congress and their royal dynasty have insulted Prime Ministers who do not belong to their dynasty. The treatment towards Narasimha Rao will go down as one of the most shameful chapters of our political history,” Shekhar further said.

The Teen Murti Bhavan is a historic monument where India’s destiny was crafted. The architect of India’s post-independence glory was our first PM Jawaharlal Nehru.

Erasing his legacy by changing the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library is a petty act, which only further…

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) June 16, 2023

“In the PM Museum, every PM, irrespective of party lines, has dignity and respect, and their contribution has been highlighted. This shows PM Narendra Modi’s statesmanship,” he added.

Terming Congress’ reaction as a classic example of political indigestion, BJP national president JP Nadda tweeted, “Classic example of political indigestion – the inability to accept the simple fact that there are leaders beyond one dynasty who have served and built our nation.”

“PM Sangrahalaya is an effort beyond politics and Congress lacks the vision to realise this. Congress’s approach to this issue is ironic considering their party’s only contribution is to erase the legacies of all previous PMs to ensure that only the legacy of one family survives,” Nadda wrote.

“In PM Sangrahalaya, every PM has respect. The section relating to Pandit Nehru hasn’t been altered. On the contrary, its prestige has been enhanced. For a party that ruled India for over 50 years, their pettiness is really tragic. It’s also the reason people are rejecting them,” he added.

In his welcome address, Chairman of the Executive Council, Nripendra Misra explained the need for a change in name by emphasising that the Prime Ministers’ Museum expresses the nation’s deep commitment to democracy and so the name of the institution should reflect its new form.

In his address, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh welcomed the proposal for a change in name since, in its new form, the institution exhibits the contributions of all prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi and their responses to various challenges faced by them.

Describing Prime Ministers as an institution and comparing the journey of various prime ministers to the varied colours of a rainbow, Singh emphasised, “All the colours of a rainbow have to be proportionately represented in order to make it beautiful. Thus the resolution has given a new name, respect to all our previous prime ministers and is democratic in content.”