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Tag: Jawaharlal Nehru

  • PM Narendra Modi quotes Jawaharlal Nehru to blunt Congress attack

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday quoted extensively from former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to rebut Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of his government on a range of issues.

    Modi quoted from Nehru’s Independence Day address and popular book ‘Discovery of India’ to counter Congress’s remarks on the government’s assertions on following constitutional duties along with constitutional rights.

    Quoting Nehru’s speech from the Red Fort, Modi had said India’s first prime minister had thrown up his arms when it came to tackling inflation and blamed the unrest in Korea and developments in the US for rising prices of essential items.

    He said Nehru had made the remarks when globalisation was not in vogue and asserted that his government had succeeded in keeping food inflation in control despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Pandit Nehru said from the Red Fort (when there was no globalisation) ‘the war in Korea is affecting us. That is why prices increase and they go out of our control’. India’s first prime minister threw up his hands in front of the country,” he said.

    “If something happens in America, it affects the price of our goods. Imagine how serious was the problem of inflation, that Nehru had to say this from Red Fort. If you were in power today, you would have blamed inflation on coronavirus and run away,” Modi said.

    “You complain I don’t take Pandit ji’s name. Today I will keep saying Nehru ji — enjoy…You keep saying Modi ji does not take Nehru ji’s name. So I am fulfilling your wish,” the prime minister said.

    Modi also quoted from Nehru’s ‘Discovery of India’ to assert the message of unity in diversity in an attempt to counter Gandhi’s allegations against the BJP government for discriminating against southern states.

  • Congress taught wrong history to glorify Gandhi, Nehru and Indira: Shivraj

    Chouhan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for declaring 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas' to mark the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, a tribal icon.

  • “Jinnahwadis” fire bullets on followers of Ram: Yogi Adityanath 

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Hours after he hit out at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for “comparing” Muhammad Ali Jinnah with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, November 1, 2021, said “Jinnahwadis” used to fire bullets on the followers of Lord Ram, but under the BJP-led dispensation, the enemies of the country and those who try to harm innocent citizens are targeted.

    Addressing a function of the “Nath Sampradaya” in Piyala village in Haryana’s Faridabad district, Adityanath said, “When you support good people, the society and the country benefit from it.”

    “Remember that if the country had not made Narendra Modi the prime minister in 2014, what would have happened. There would have been anarchy. Sometimes Pakistan, sometimes China, Naxalites would have cast an evil eye. The terrorists in Kashmir, who were spreading disorder, would have spread it even more,” he said.

    The BJP leader said the provisions Article 370 of the Constitution, which was the “mother of terrorism”, were abrogated.

    “Not only this, a solution was found to the Ayodhya dispute, which was going on for 500 years, paving the way for the construction of a grand Ram temple,” he added.

    “Just think, if the BJP was not there, if Modiji was not the prime minister and if the BJP was not in power in Uttar Pradesh, would all this have been possible?” he asked the gathering.

    Adityanath accused the previous governments of firing bullets on the followers of Lord Ram and said, “They are the same people, knowingly or unknowingly, this comes out of their mouth. It is the Jinnahwadis who fire bullets on Ram bhakts. And when these Jinnahwadis will come to power, they will again fire bullets on Ram bhakts. But now, bullets will be fired on terrorists and not on Ram bhakts. Bullets will be fired on India’s enemies, those who attack innocent citizens and not on Ram bhakts, Krishna bhakts…,” he said.

    Earlier in the day, speaking at a programme in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad, Adityanath hit out at Yadav for “comparing” Jinnah with Patel, saying it is Talibani mentality that believes in breaking the society.

    At a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi on Sunday, Yadav spoke of Mahatma Gandhi, Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah in the same breath as leaders who fought for the country’s independence, drawing the BJP’s criticism.

    “I was listening to Akhileshji’s statement. He was comparing Jinnah, who divided the country, with Sardar Patel, who brought the nation together. This is a shameful statement,” Adityanath said in Moradabad.

  • Nehru used to wear ‘Gandhi topi’ not the Mahatma: BJP leader; Congress fumes

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Newly-appointed Gujarat BJP organisational general secretary Ratnakar has claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had never worn the cap which is named after him but Jawaharlal Nehru used to wear it, the remarks defended by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel who on Monday said though the cap is famously known as “Gandhi Topi” no one had seen the Father of the Nation wearing it.

    “No one has ever found a photo in which Gandhiji can be seen wearing that Gandhi cap. Even I have never seen such a photo. Thus, what Ratnakarji said is true. Though the cap is known as ‘Gandhi Topi’, probably no one has ever seen a photo in which Gandhiji can be seen wearing a Gandhi cap,” Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar.

    Ratnakar, who was recently appointed as the new organisational general secretary of the Gujarat BJP, tweeted on Sunday asking why the cap is called “Gandhi Topi” when it was worn by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister, and not by Mahatma Gandhi himself.

    He had shared a photo of Nehru wearing the cap juxtaposed with Gandhiji’s photo without a cap.

    Reacting sharply, Gujarat Congress said the people who never participated in the freedom struggle and sided with Britishers are now pointing fingers at freedom fighters and India’s first Prime Minister.

    “People who used to salute the British hat are passing such comments on freedom fighters and India’s first PM after coming to Gandhi-Sardar’s Gujarat.

    These people used to work for the Britishers and never participated in the freedom struggle.

    Same people are now desperate to change the history,” said Gujarat Congress Spokesperson, Manish Doshi.

  • Why do you hate Nehru so much? Sanjay Raut asks Centre

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said the exclusion of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s picture from a poster released by a body of the Union Education Ministry to mark the 75th year of India’s independence shows the Centre’s “narrow mindset”, and asked the Union government why it “hates” Nehru so much.

    Raut, in his weekly column ‘Rokhthok’ in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana, said the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, has excluded the pictures of Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad from its poster, and alleged that it was an act of “political vindictiveness”.

    “Those who had no participation in the freedom struggle and creating history are keeping out one of the heroes of the independence struggle. This act, done out of political vindictiveness, is not good and shows their narrow mindset. It is an insult of each and every freedom fighter,” Raut claimed.

    One can have differences over Nehru’s policies after independence, but no one can deny his contribution to the freedom struggle, said the Rajya Sabha member, who is the executive editor of Saamana.

    “What has Nehru done to hate him so much? In fact, the institutions he built are now being sold to keep the Indian economy moving,” Raut said, while referring to the National Monetization Pipeline (announced recently by the Centre), and claimed it was due to Nehru’s “long-term vision” that the country was saved from economic devastation.

    Raut, whose party shares power with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra, said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin recently took a decision not to remove pictures of former state CMs Jayalalitha and E K Palaniswami from school bags which were being distributed free to children in the southern state.

    “If he (Stalin) can show political maturity, why do you hate Nehru so much? You owe an answer to the nation,” the Shiv Sena’s chief spokesperson said, without naming the BJP.

    The Modi government’s criticism of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was understandable, he said, claiming that the Centre made its hatred public by changing the name of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

    “You cannot destroy the immortal contribution of Nehru and (former prime minister) Indira Gandhi in nation-building. Those who deny Nehru’s contributions will be called villains of history,” Raut further claimed.

  • Other posters will have Nehru’s image, unnecessary controversy over issue, clarifies ICHR official

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Facing flak from opposition parties for excluding Jawaharlal Nehru from a poster celebrating the 75th year of independence, the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) said the controversy over the issue is “unnecessary” as other posters being released in the coming days will feature Nehru.

    “We are not trying to undermine anyone’s role in the movement,” a top ICHR official said, dismissing criticism on the issue, and added the poster was one of the many released as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

    ICHR, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, has been running a series of lectures and seminars on the theme of the Independence struggle under the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebration.

    ALSO READ | Congresss attacks ICHR for omitting Jawaharlal Nehru’s image from ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ poster

    “This is only one of the posters released as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. There will be several others and Nehru will be featured in them….controversy around this is unnecessary,” the ICHR official said.

    As part of the lecture series, the council has invited various historians and academicians to speak on different topics related to India’s freedom movement.

    Opposition parties had targeted the government for the exclusion of the image of the country’s first prime minister from the poster and suggested that it had been done deliberately.

    Jairam Ramesh, Shashi Tharoor and Pawan Khera were among the Congress leaders, who took to social media and shared the screenshot of the ICHR website showing photographs of Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, B R Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Madan Mohan Malviya and Veer Savarkar while Nehru’s picture was missing.

    Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday hit out at the ICHR, accusing it of bowing to hate and prejudice, and asked whether it would omit Henry Ford while celebrating the birth of the motor car or Wright brothers while celebrating the birth of aviation.

  • Chidambaram slams ICHR for omitting Nehru’s photo from poster celebrating India’s Independence

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday hit out at the ICHR for omitting the photograph of Jawaharlal Nehru from the first digital poster to celebrate the 75th year of India’s Independence, and said the explanation given is ludicrous.

    He accused the member secretary of the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) of bowing to hate and prejudice and asked him whether he would omit Henry Ford while celebrating the birth of the motor car or Wright brothers while celebrating the birth of aviation.

    Ford was the first to invent the motor car and the Wright brothers were credited for building and flying the world’s first aircraft.

    “ICHR Member-Secretary’s explanation for the omission of Jawaharlal Nehru from the first digital poster to celebrate 75 years of independence is ludicrous,” he said on Twitter.

    “After bowing down to prejudice and hate, it is best the Member-Secretary shuts his mouth,” he also said.

    “If he was celebrating the birth of the motor car, will he omit Henry Ford? If he was celebrating the birth of aviation, will he omit the Wright brothers? If he was celebrating Indian science, will he omit C V Raman,” Chidambaram asked in a series of tweets.

    The exclusion of Nehru’s image from the poster of the ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations by the ICHR has triggered a controversy with opposition parties slamming the government for it and dubbing it as “petty and atrocious”.

  • Congresss attacks ICHR for omitting Jawaharlal Nehru’s image from ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ poster

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress leaders Saturday took strong exception to the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) omitting Jawaharlal Nehru’s image from the ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations to mark the 75th year of India’s independence.

    Congress leaders shared screenshot of the ICHR website showing photographs of Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, B R Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Madan Mohan Malviya and Veer Savarkar but Nehru’s picture was missing.

    There was no immediate comment available from the ICHR.

    Congress leader Jairam Ramesh termed the move “atrocious” while party spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi said no country removes the first prime minister from a website about the freedom struggle and said it was “petty” and “injustice”.

    Another leader Shashi Tharoor said ICHR had “disgraced” itself by omitting Nehru’s picture.

    “Which other country would remove their first head of state from a website about the freedom struggle? ICHR’s removal of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Abul Kalam Azad is petty and an injustice.

    India will not forget that the RSS chose to stay away from the Indian freedom movement,” Gogoi said on Twitter.

    Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera asked if one’s stature would rise by removing Nehru’s photo.

    “Will removing Nehru’s photo increase one’s stature? A dwarf will remain a dwarf,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

    “It is not merely petty but absolutely ahistorical to celebrate Azadi by omitting the pre-eminent voice of  Indian freedom, Jawaharlal Nehru. One more occasion for ICHR to disgrace itself. This is becoming a habit,” said Tharoor while sharing the picture of the ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.

    Ramesh also shared the picture and said, “Not surprising from this regime and its toadies masquerading as scholars but atrocious nevertheless.”

  • India couldn’t become Hindu Rashtra due to ‘coward’ Nehru: BJP MLA

    Alleging that it was the Congress #39; quot;dirty thinking quot; that led to the Partition, Surendra Singh said had Nehru not been the prime minister, India would have been declared a Hindu nation.

  • ‘Architect of modern India’: Congress pays tributes to Jawaharlal Nehru on death anniversary

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday paid tributes to India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary, saying he was the architect of modern India who made unforgettable contributions to the country and the world.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also paid floral tributes to Nehru at his memorial Shanti Van here this morning.

    Nehru, the first prime minister of India, held office between August 1947 and May 1964.

    He died on this day in 1964.

    “Today, we honour Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, who has made unforgettable contributions to India & the world. He was a man of towering intellect, the architect of modern India, a true patriot,” the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

    “He fought ardently for India’s Independence, democracy and further development,” the party tweeted with the hashtag ‘RememberingNehru’. Paying homage to Nehru, Gandhi posted a quote of his great grandfather, “Evil unchecked grows, evil tolerated poisons the whole system.”

    “Remembering the wise words of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary,” the former Congress chief tweeted.

    Congress general secretary in-charge, organization, K C Venugopal, also posted a quote of Nehru, “Without peace, all other dreams vanish and are reduced to ashes.”

    “My humble tributes to India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji on his death anniversary,” Venugopal tweeted.

    Congress chief ministers — Amarinder Singh (Punjab), Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) and Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) — also paid tributes to Nehru on his 57th death anniversary.