The Congress on Thursday objected to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru not being listed among the leaders of the freedom movement mentioned in President Droupadi Murmu’s Independence Day address, claiming it was part of a campaign to erase him from history.

In her address on Wednesday, Murmu said that “patriotic and brave souls took immense risks and made supreme sacrifices” to secure freedom for the country from British rule. “Different traditions and values that had continued to live on beneath the surface found new expressions in several generations of great leaders,” the president said.

“Unifying the diversity of traditions and their expressions was Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation and our lodestar,” she said. “Alongside, there were great leaders like Sardar Patel, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Babasaheb Ambedkar as well as Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and many others.”

On Thursday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that besides delivering the “tryst with destiny” speech at midnight on August 14, 1947, Nehru had also addressed the nation through the radio on August 15, 1947, and printed a message in the newspapers that morning.

This was also the day when 14 ministers, including Ambedkar and Patel, were sworn in, he added.

“It is most unfortunate – to say the very least – that while there was mention of a number of iconic personalities of our Independence movement in the Hon’ble President’s address to the nation last night, the name of India’s first PM [Nehru] who spent ten years in British jails was not mentioned,” Ramesh said. “It is clearly part of the continuing campaign to erase and eliminate him from our history.”

The Congress has for long accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of attempting to wipe out the legacy of Nehru.

Opposition is the oxygen of democracy, says Congress chief

In his address on Independence Day, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that democracy and the Constitution were the biggest shields for Indians. “We will protect it till our last breath,” he said.

In a video message on social media, Kharge said that the Opposition was like the oxygen of democracy.

“Along with stopping the unconstitutional attitude of the government, it also raises the issues of the public,” he said. “It is a matter of concern that constitutional and autonomous institutions have been turned into puppets by the government.”

Kharge said that the dream of those who fought for India’s independence was to maintain unity in diversity. “But some forces are trying to destroy our brotherhood by forcibly imposing their views on the country,” he added.

He added: “Be ready to make every sacrifice to protect the Constitution. This will be the true tribute to our ancestors.”

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