'Pettiness and Vengeance': Cong slams govt over renaming of Nehru Museum

The Congress hit out at the govt over renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society here as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, calling it a petty act

The Congress on Friday hit out at the government over renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society here as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, calling it a "petty act" and asserting that legacies don't get erased by renaming buildings.

Nearly a year after the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was inaugurated on the premises of the Teen Murti Bhavan, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMML) has been renamed as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society.

In a special meeting of the NMML, it was resolved to change its name to Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, the Culture Ministry said Friday.

The meeting was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who is the vice president of the Society, it said.

Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "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, disparage and destroy the name & legacy of the architect of the Indian nation-state. A small, small man overburdened by his insecurities is the self-styled Vishwaguru," Ramesh said.

Congress genera secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal 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 and Library is a petty act, which only further diminishes the stature of the current regime," Venugopal said on Twitter.

"India's every success is achieved on the foundation of Nehru ji's vision. India knows that, and removing his name from a museum will not change the revered stature that Nehru ji enjoys in every Indian's heart," he said.

Congress MP Manish Tewari also hit out at the government, saying legacies don't get erased by renaming buildings.

"I wish those who want to erase Jawahar Lal Nehru's contribution to freedom struggle & building of Modern India would once read Discovery of India & Glimpses of World History to fathom the depth of Nehru," he said on Twitter.

Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said, "You can remove (Jawaharlal Nehru's) name from the boards but you can't remove the respect which people of this country have for him.