Federally ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress on Friday engaged in a war of words after the government renamed the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society located in Teen Murti Bhavan in New Delhi as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society.
Federal Culture Ministry in a statement said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is also the body’s vice-president, presided over a special meeting where it was decided to change the name of the museum.
It added Prime Minister Narendra Modi mooted the idea of setting up a museum dedicated to all the Prime Ministers on Teen Murti premises in 2016.
“The council subsequently felt that the name of the Institution should reflect the present activities which now also include a Sangrahalaya depicting the collective journey of democracy in Independent India and highlighting the contribution of each Prime Minister in nation-building,” the government said.
The Museum now tells the story of how Indian Prime Ministers "navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured all-round progress of the country and thus, recognizes all the Prime Ministers, thereby democratizing the institutional memory," the Ministry of Culture stated.
Reacting sharply to the news, Congress politicians Mallikarjun Kharge and Jairam Ramesh alleged the Center was trying to "diminish" the contributions made by India's first Prime Minister.
“Those who do not have any history, they have gone to erase the history of others. The ill-fated attempt to change the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library cannot belittle the personality of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India and fearless guardian of democracy,” Congress chief Kharge tweeted.
Meanwhile, Ramesh accused the government of attempting to distort, disparage, and destroy the name and legacy of the architect of the Indian nation-state.
“For over 59 years Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) has been a global intellectual landmark 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 tweeted.
In response, the BJP warned Congress against politicizing the matter.
Terming Congress’ reaction as “a classic example of political indigestion”, BJP chief JP Nadda said that “the inability to accept a simple fact that there are leaders beyond one dynasty who have served and built our nation. PM Sangrahalaya is an effort beyond politics and Congress lacks the vision to realise this.”
BJP parliamentarian Neeraj Shekhar said his party has never looked beyond "one dynasty," alluding to the Gandhis.
“My father, former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar always worked for national interest. He even worked with Congress but they never looked beyond one dynasty. Now, when PM Narendra Modi honoured Prime Ministers across party lines, Congress is getting agitated. Horrible attitude,” Shekhar said in a tweet.