Irked by Narendra Modi’s failure to acknowledge Jawaharlal Nehru in his Independence Day address, the Congress has decided to organise its own programmes to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of the country’s first prime minister this year.
A special committee headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and comprising senior party leaders has been set up to plan the programme. Former Union minister and Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma has taken charge of the preparatory committee.
Sharma said details of the proposed events are still to be finalised, but made it clear that the party will ensure that Nehru’s philosophy and achievements are highlighted across the country. The Congress hopes this will rekindle public interest in Nehruvian and Congress ideology and kick off a discussion about the values Nehru stood for and how they contrast with the present government’s positions.
The Congress has decided to organise its own events to commemorate Nehru’s 125th birth centenary because it does not expect the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government to do so in befitting manner, given its antipathy towards a key founder of modern India.
“A Prime Minister who wants to rewrite history, whose antipathy towards Nehru is well-known and who did not care to mention him in his Independence Day speech,” said Sharma. “How can you expect such a Prime Minister to commemorate Nehru’s birth anniversary?”
Showcasing the party’s achievements and great leaders of the past is important to the Congress because it is in decline in many parts of the country, and its prospects of revival appear dim. The lack of a strong leaders has forced it to to turn to the past to reconnect with voters.
Aborted plans
When it was in power, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government set up a special committee headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to plan a series of programmes to commemorate Nehru’s anniversary.
An estimated Rs 100 crore was expected to be spent on the programmes, which included the release of a special coin and stamp, and a feature film on Nehru along the lines of Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. The film was to be funded by the government-run National Films Division Corporation, while the Information and Broadcasting Ministry was to be put in charge of finding an acclaimed international film director for the job.
The committee also planned to publish books and pamphlets on various aspects of Nehru’s life and create an internet site dedicated to him. Special exhibitions and international conferences were to be organised.
Sole ownership
However, this may be seen as an attempt to project Nehru the property of the Congress rather than a leader whose legacy belongs to the whole nation.
In 2007, the Congress faced this charge when it organised an event to observe the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha movement in South Africa. Nobel laureates, world leaders, freedom fighters and former heads of governments from 90 countries gathered at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi for the international conference.
Anand Sharma also handled the preparations for the 2007 conference.
However, the conference was criticised by the BJP and other parties for excluding them. Gandhi, they said, did not belong to a single party but the entire country.
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A special committee headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and comprising senior party leaders has been set up to plan the programme. Former Union minister and Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma has taken charge of the preparatory committee.
Sharma said details of the proposed events are still to be finalised, but made it clear that the party will ensure that Nehru’s philosophy and achievements are highlighted across the country. The Congress hopes this will rekindle public interest in Nehruvian and Congress ideology and kick off a discussion about the values Nehru stood for and how they contrast with the present government’s positions.
The Congress has decided to organise its own events to commemorate Nehru’s 125th birth centenary because it does not expect the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government to do so in befitting manner, given its antipathy towards a key founder of modern India.
“A Prime Minister who wants to rewrite history, whose antipathy towards Nehru is well-known and who did not care to mention him in his Independence Day speech,” said Sharma. “How can you expect such a Prime Minister to commemorate Nehru’s birth anniversary?”
Showcasing the party’s achievements and great leaders of the past is important to the Congress because it is in decline in many parts of the country, and its prospects of revival appear dim. The lack of a strong leaders has forced it to to turn to the past to reconnect with voters.
Aborted plans
When it was in power, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government set up a special committee headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to plan a series of programmes to commemorate Nehru’s anniversary.
An estimated Rs 100 crore was expected to be spent on the programmes, which included the release of a special coin and stamp, and a feature film on Nehru along the lines of Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. The film was to be funded by the government-run National Films Division Corporation, while the Information and Broadcasting Ministry was to be put in charge of finding an acclaimed international film director for the job.
The committee also planned to publish books and pamphlets on various aspects of Nehru’s life and create an internet site dedicated to him. Special exhibitions and international conferences were to be organised.
Sole ownership
However, this may be seen as an attempt to project Nehru the property of the Congress rather than a leader whose legacy belongs to the whole nation.
In 2007, the Congress faced this charge when it organised an event to observe the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha movement in South Africa. Nobel laureates, world leaders, freedom fighters and former heads of governments from 90 countries gathered at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi for the international conference.
Anand Sharma also handled the preparations for the 2007 conference.
However, the conference was criticised by the BJP and other parties for excluding them. Gandhi, they said, did not belong to a single party but the entire country.
