New Delhi: In response to the Congress's comments on the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, the BJP lashed out at the party on Friday, alleging that the Congress is not above insulting even its own former prime ministers.
Congress had previously criticised the government for renaming the museum here as the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, calling the move a "petty act" and arguing that renaming a facility does not erase a legacy.
BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sudhanshu Trivedi responded by saying the Congress is making accusations despite the fact that its leaders have not yet visited the museum to see how the technological advancements have improved the exhibition of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his successors' contributions and achievements.
Former prime ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, P. V. Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh of the Congress are all honoured at the museum, he said.
Using the names of their own prime ministers is something I'm doing on purpose. Their animosity for Narasimha Rao is understandable. What I want to know, though, is why they have a problem with the systematic presentation of the accomplishments of prime ministers like Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Manmohan Singh.
Even their own leaders can't escape the insults of those who oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Because of the 'Modiabind' of Modi's opponents, they can't tell their own leaders apart from anyone else," he claimed.
After the NDA came to power in 2014, Trivedi reminded the Congress that the Modi government had marked Nehru's 125th birthday.
He remarked, "How many Congress leaders have gone there to see the Nehru Memorial?" before adding, "I am surprised and a bit perturbed also (with the Congress' reaction in the matter)."
He expressed concern over the deterioration of Teen Murti Bhavan, the memorial to India's first prime minister.
The BJP official said, "It was gathering dust. The section of Nehru ji's memorial has been reorganised in a much better way and it showcases his contributions and achievements with the use of advanced technology."
The culture ministry said earlier in the day that the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMML) voted unanimously in a special meeting to rebrand itself as the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society.
It was reported that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who also serves as the society's vice president, presided over the meeting.—Inputs from Agencies