Remembering Nehru, two different ways

The Congress has hit out at the BJP led govt's attempts to "belittle" the contribution of Nehru as an international statesman and as a national icon

The government and the Congress celebrated Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth anniversary in markedly different ways on Saturday.

The government held a sedate function at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, while the Congress had lined up elaborate celebrations all day.

The official closure of the celebrations by the government was an address by Home Minister Rajnath Singh as the chief guest at Teen Murti Bhavan, a speech by Nehru Memorial Director Sanjeev Mittal, followed by the inauguration of an exhibition and the screening of a short film. The celebrations were inaugurated by Singh last year at the residence of the country’s first prime minister.

The government had on November 14, 2014, launched the Year of Bal Swachhta and the Bal Swachhta Mission in schools, an extension of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Nehru’s birthday has  been celebrated as Children’s Day.

The Congress hit out at the government’s attempts to belittle the contribution of Nehru as a statesman and as a national icon. The Congress celebrations were marked by tributes at Nehru’s Samadhi at Shantivan, a march by Seva Dal workers from India Gate, and a commemorative function at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

Highlights of the events included the unveiling of a commemorative book, launch of a website (www.celebratingnehru.org), and speeches by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The celebrations ended with a cultural programme at Nehru Park.

When the National Democratic Alliance government took office in May 2014 trouncing the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Sonia Gandhi had resigned as member of the national committee for the commemoration of the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru. The UPA had planned to set aside Rs 100 crore for the year-long celebrations, which it intended to be widespread, reaching out to the maximum number of people.

The new government reconstituted the committee with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its head but kept the celebrations confined to the grounds of Teen Murti Bhavan. The BJP-led government had already indicated its preference of replacing the Congress’ Nehru-Gandhi family iconography with its set of national leaders like Sardar Patel, Madan Mohan Malviya and Deen Dayal Upadhyay.

In October 2014 the government released Rs 20 crore to the Nehru Memorial for setting up a portal. Critics have noted that the NDA government’s celebrations were a customary commemoration, like that for any other national leader. Modi was not present at any of the events.

When the government declared its intention to recast the Nehru Memorial as a museum of governance to showcase policies and achievements, historians wrote a protest letter to Modi, saying the mandate of the Nehru Memorial was to uphold Nehru’s life and work. Nehru Memorial was again in the eye of the storm when its director, Mahesh Rangarajan, an UPA appointee, left after the government questioned his appointment. The joint secretary in the Ministry of Culture has since been given additional charge as its director.  

The Congress has attempted to trump the government’s celebrations with its own elaborate one. It started off with an international conference at Vigyan Bhavan last November. A recent seminar organised by the party’s think tank, the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies, on Nehru’s legacy, which brought together intellectuals and liberals, raised quite a few eyebrows. In the backdrop of the raging debate on intolerance in the country, historians like Irfan Habib present at the seminar unambiguously stated efforts were being made to systematically stamp out Nehru’s legacy and the liberal ideas he stood for.

The drama that has unfolded in the context of the Nehru birth anniversary celebrations, will only serve to deepen the gulf that exists between the ruling government and the Opposition Congress.