Nehru museum renaming row: Modi replaced N with P for ‘pettiness’, says Congress; BJP hits back | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: A war of words erupted between the Congress and BJP on Wednesday over the renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMML) housed in Teen Murti Bhavan in the national capital.

While Congress accused accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “distorting and destroying” the Nehruvian legacy, the ruling party rejected allegations and said that for the opposition party only Jawaharlal Nehru and his family matters.

The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library has officially been renamed as the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society with effect from August 14.

The renaming has prompted sharp criticism from Congress. The Teen Murti Bhavan had served as the official residence of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Modi has erased N and put P instead, P for ‘pettiness, peeve’
In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “From today, an iconic institution gets a new name. The world-renowned Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) becomes PMML – Prime Ministers’ Memorial Museum and Library.”
“Mr Modi possesses a huge bundle of fears, complexes and insecurities, especially when it comes to our first and longest-serving Prime Minister. He has had a single-point agenda of denying, distorting, defaming and destroying Nehru and the Nehruvian legacy,” Ramesh said.
“He (Modi) has erased N and put P instead. That P is really for pettiness and peeve,” the Congress leader said.

He further said that “despite the relentless assault, Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy will live on for the world to see and he will continue to inspire generations to come.”
Maharashtra Congress leader Ashok Chavan said that the names of the institutions should not change according to the change in politics.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also hit out at the government over the renaming, saying it is a pity that it came to this.
“I think that the idea of expanding what the building showcases to accommodate other prime ministers is an unexceptionable idea. In fact, it is good to encourage children and members of the general public to be aware of the contributions of all the prime ministers, I have no difficulty with that. But in the process, it’s rather petty to take away the name of the first Prime Minister who led the interim government, who was prime minister upon independence, who is so far the longest-serving prime minister. You could have continued calling it the Nehru Memorial Prime Ministers Museum and Library,” the former union minister said
“This pettiness is unfortunate and it shows a certain bitterness towards our own historical past which, I believe, is not worthy of a government that has such a good majority. They should show the big-heartedness that you expect from a government with a big majority,” Tharoor told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Thiruvananthapuram.
‘Congress believes in promotion of one family alone’
Reacting to the Congress’ criticism, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress is centred around promoting the Nehru-Gandhi family while Modi has ensured that all prime ministers are given a respectful place. No other prime minister was given a space in the museum earlier, he said.
Congress leaders’ criticism is nothing but a “lament of courtiers”, he alleged.
Union minister Arjun Munda said that the museum has been dedicated to all the PMs who have served this nation adding that PM is not a person but an institution.
PMML vice chairman on renaming row
Amid the renaming row, Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) Vice Chairman of Executive Council, A Surya Prakash said the new museum showcases the achievements and the contributions of Jawaharlal Nehru to the nation, adding that those dubious about the same should visit it.

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, A Surya Prakash said, “Anyone visiting the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) can see how we have showcased Nehru, his temples of modern India, the Hirakud Dam, Nagarajuna Sagar Dam, his idea of setting up institutes of technology, and Planning Commission in his 17-year tenure as PM at the Teen Murti Bhavan.”
“We have documented and showcased his phenomenal and exemplary body of work that went into nation-building. I would request anyone, who has any doubts about how we have showcased Nehru, to come and take a look at the museum today,” he added.
(With agency inputs)Watch BJP vs Congress: Renaming of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library sparks war of words