Cong magazine criticises Nehru's policy, Sonia's father

Articles published in party publication in Mumbai criticise Jawaharlal Nehru's policy on Kashmir issue, allege Sonia Gandhi's father was a "fascist soldier"

Articles in a Congress mouthpiece questioning Jawaharlal Nehru’s Kashmir and China policy and calling Sonia Gandhi’s father a “fascist soldier” on Monday left the party squirming in embarrassment, forcing its editor Sanjay Nirupam to apologise and dismiss its editorial content in-charge. One of the write-ups, in the Hindi journal Congress Darshan, blamed Nehru for “the state of affairs in Kashmir, China and Tibet”. Another made controversial remarks about Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s parent.

Congress claimed the magazine was not its “mouthpiece”.

The two unsigned unsigned were in a journal published by the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee. Nirupam, who also heads the party’s city unit, tendered an apology and dismissed Sudhir Joshi, the man in charge of the magazine’s editorial content.

One of the articles, a tribute to the country’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, had references to the “strained” relations between him and Nehru. The article cited a letter Patel had purportedly written in 1950 to caution Nehru against China’s policy towards Tibet wherein he had described China as “unfaithful and a future enemy of India”. “Had Patel been heard (by Nehru) then, the problems of Kashmir, China, Tibet and Nepal wouldn’t have existed now. Patel opposed Nehru’s move of taking the Kashmir issue to the UNO,” the article went on to say.

Another piece, which focused on Sonia, described her early life and her “ambition to become an airhostess”. It termed her father a “fascist soldier” who, the article claimed, was a member of the Italian forces that lost to the Russians in the World War II.

“Sonia Gandhi’s father Stephano Maino was a former fascist soldier,” the article claimed and described her rapid rise in the Congress hierarchy. “Sonia Gandhi registered as a primary member of the Congress in 1997 and became the party’s president in 62 days. She also made an unsuccessful attempt to form a government,” the article said.    PTI

Nirupam, who initially distanced himself from the articles, later admitted the “mistake”. “I do not agree with the article. It seems to have been sourced, but I don’t know who the writer(s) is,” said Nirupam but later admitted the “mistake”.

“I admit the mistake. Inquiry will be initiated into the editorial department which committed the mistake. We will make sure that such a mistake is not repeated,” he said.

In Delhi, Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Raj Babbar said that it should be seriously looked into.

"If something like this has come out in the Congress article, then AICC will take it up," Khurshid said.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that it was clear that the writer was not aware of history and had no knowledge of the conditions under which Nehru had become the first Prime Minister and the challenges he faced like eradicating poverty.

Top Congress leaders had gathered to mark the Foundation Day at at AICC headquarters in the national capital.
Nirupam also said he was not aware who penned these write-ups.

"I do not agree with the article. It seems to have been sourced, but I don't know who the writer (s) is," Nirupam, who in his earlier stint with Shiv Sena edited Hindi newspaper 'Dopahar Ka Saamana', said, adding that corrective measures would be taken.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Union Minister Jitender Singh said such remarks about Nehru's policy have been made earlier also and not just by BJP.

"Many of Nehru's close friends have written books mentioning that the course of events in Jammu and Kashmir would have been different had it been left to the then home minister (Patel)," he said.