It will feature all past and future prime ministers of India, including Narendra Modi, but will not have Jawaharlal Nehru.
The Narendra Modi government’s decision to build a Museum of Prime Ministers on Teen Murti estate in the heart of Delhi is designed to include all prime ministers in the past as well as in the future, including prime minister Modi.
The museum, however, will not feature India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and will begin from his successor, Lal Bahadur Shastri.
The Teen Murti estate already houses Nehru’s residence, which is also a memorial, as well as a library. The new building will be a separate entity.
The plan
The annual general meeting of the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) taking place Thursday evening is expected to pass several amendments to its Memorandum of Association to this effect.
Last week, NMML director Shakti Sinha met H.D. Deve Gowda — prime minister for about 11 months in 1996-97 — who is believed to be very happy at being interviewed for the project.
Certainly, the BJP hopes that a Deve Gowda gallery in the Museum of Prime Ministers will help its cause in softening the Janata Dal and turning it in its direction in Karnataka.
Talks with the families of other prime ministers haven’t been as promising. For example, the family of Congress leader Dr Manmohan Singh is believed to have shied away from offering any personal material on him although one of his daughters, Daman Singh, has written a book on him.
Dr Singh, too, hasn’t been personally approached so far.
It is believed that efforts are on to gather material on prime minister Modi. Some hagiographic information is available, including a comic book which features how the child Narendra caught a crocodile. Modi’s formative years with the RSS, especially his travels across the country, are expected to reveal glimpses of the man who became prime minister.
The PM is believed to have already cautioned the ministry of culture, under which the NMML functions, to say that the Museum of Prime Ministers must share space with all former prime ministers, from Lal Bahadur Shastri onwards, and not be restricted to himself.
For and against
But several members of the NMML executive council, such as historian Nayanjot Lahiri, international diplomat Nitin Desai, Congressman Jairam Ramesh and architect A.G.K. Memon are said to have opposed building another structure on Teen Murti Estate, believing that it will “dilute Nehru’s impact”.
The pro-BJP group at the same executive council meeting contested that argument, pointing out that Nehru’s importance could not be undermined, and by that argument the Nehru planetarium should not have been built on the 25-acre estate.
The Thursday meeting, taking place under the leadership of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, is expected to be stormy, but because the pro-Congress group is in a minority, the amendments will be easily passed.
Sinha told ThePrint that the Nehru Memorial museum, Nehru’s former residence, will remain exclusively devoted to Nehru’s life and the new galleries that are being added during the ongoing renovation will “substantially add” to what people know today about India’s first prime minister.
“India’s democratic experiment is unique in the world and we must celebrate it,” Sinha said, explaining the concept behind the Museum of Prime Ministers.
Asked about prime minister Modi’s presence in the museum, Sinha added, “He will be there, but he’s not the only one. There are other galleries with whom he will share space.”
The ministry of culture has already set up three panels to work on the project.
Modi’s legacy.One and only legacy.
POGROM 2002. The only pogrom in the history of India.However much his henchmen try that will remain so.. So also however much those cretins who try to denigrate the Nehru legacy will fail.Because the vengeance of history is much more powerful than Modi.
Teen Murti having 25 acre space only for Nehru in his memory and any idea to use the vacant space be termed as dilution of his legacy is tantamount to hypocrisy.
Only those who have been or will be PMs will have their mention in a building to be built separately. This is fully compatible and desirable.
High time to undo pas..t and know our legacy beyond Nehru and family…India has moved beyond Maii baap culture…also would like the see the print critique family legacy…oops ..Italian…lady…
Modi and RSS will destroy India like Hitler and the Nazis destroyed Germany. Modi is a little man, I don’t mean physically, but in terms of temperament and character. He suffers from an inferiority complex, just like Hitler. The only way he can feel good about himself is by surrounding himself with sycophants who sing his praise and putting down nation builders like Nehru. Under Modi’s watch, India is well on its way to becoming the Hindu equivalent of the failed Islamic state of Pakistan. Here is a poem that describes Modi perfectly.
Mein na nar hoon na naari hoon.
Mein Hindustan ka mahan chowkidar hoon.
Mein Hitler aur Mussolini ka aulad hoon.
Mein Shah, Ambani, Adani, Choksi, Chota Modi jaise badmashon ka abhaari hoon.
Mein fake news aur manufactured data ka sabse bada fan hoon.
Mein maut ka saudagar bhi hoon.
Mein Bharat ke prime minister Narendra Modi hoon.
Frankly this is what I am worried about most should Modi return as PM in 2019. Already a news item says that Nehru’s picture has been replaced by picture of Savarkar or somebody in text books in Goa. Let there be no doubt that Modi is not just a very committed RSS pracharak out to change and re-write Indian History especially the story of freedom struggle and post Independent India but he also suffers from congenital hatred for Nehru due to what he thinks Sardar Patel suffered in Nehru’s hands.In this respect I have no qualms that Modi is a very unscrupulous person who will not hesitate to act with malice due to his such beliefs.Then there are other social issues of India turning into ‘Hindu pakistan’ as Shashi Tharoor rightly puts it.That is why it is very important for the opposition to unite to unseat this gentleman more than BJP in 2019.
So, what is wrong in this step? Does Nehru only have the privilege of usurping all mind space among the number of prime ministers we had. Why we can not devote a decent enough space to show case the economic progress made under P V Narsimha Rao ? Or give eulogies to the farmer- PM Charan Singh, how short lived his tenure might have been ? Or why should the folks of Lutyens cabal not dedicate a few square meters to Atal B Vajpayee, who set India on fast pace to infrastructural development ? Or Congress own Rajeev Gandhi who got killed by terrorists ? Indira Gandhi as such has two bungalows ( not one ) dedicated to maintain her memory in New Delhi.
Why Title is wrongly written when other PMs are included with Nehru? Just to give sensitive news?
Nehru is having unassailable legacy, where he gave the scientific and industrial institutions for the best of India. The tea seller who is the agent of banias will never ever touch the feet of Nehru
Hmmmm the new Emedia cell activated by Congress… I was waiting for giving the comment to this fake E media…
Foolish idea and another instance of waste of public money
By ignoring nehru if one thinks that people will forget nehru one is living in a fool’s paradise.
The contributions & sacrifices made by the Nehru family is something you can’t ignore.
Records are available with the world, you ignore it but the world will not. By ignoring nehru one is showing their idiosity, they are showing how scared they are by over half a century back dead Nehru.
In the library we must have history of Nehru’s misconduct written by some authors.
These may not be in Nehru’s private Museum !
Good thought! Prime ministers other than Nehru need to be presented before the country. There is no point in projecting only Nehru and family. Congress persons need to come out of the deity worship mindset and become real.
Each PM has contributed in shaping the country’s destiny. PV Narasimha Rao will get his due place now after being totally neglected by the congress under influence of Nehru family.
Why all you are ignoring the efforts done and sacrifices made by the Nehru family for the the development of country
Your write up is misrepresenting the fact in comparison to the headlines. While you state the new setup will be along with existing Nehru Memorial highlight says it as sans. Why you are trying to depicted a convoluted picture?
Very good idea,people of India understand/knows the life and works of their all prime ministers
Nobody can save this country!! How can he even consider such a move ? The Teen Murthi Estate is and should always be about Nehru. I am taken aback at the lack of respect towards a highly capable, intelligent and welfare oriented man like Pt.Nehru.
If they are so interested in brining forth the contributions and personalities of the former PMs, a new structure should not hurt them.
The headline is misleading. You seem to have an issue with everything that Modi does.
Nehru will remain cha-cha Nehru but some will be remembered like FEKU
Get India rid of poverty first
Will Namo’s kettle and tea cups will also be on display?
Feku is trying to attack Congress always, without doing any work for the country. Now as cheap as he is, trying to remove Pandit Nehru’s name.. hilarious.
Instead, feku should focus on work.
stop this dis-information campaign.
Another narssictic step
Finally one after another every one will be eliminated except modiji and it will be known as Modijis history.But everyone knows Modi’s history knowledge and deft hand at twisting it.But, one thing,he remains unfazed and absolutely brazen
Jo vyakti apne mahima mandan Mein dhyan karta hai …uska vinash nikat hota hai
Just waste of money.
The intended motive is to be placed more than par with the first prime minister at his own turf. What a idiotic strategy by the kingpin of political marketing
Master stroke yet again. Spoking the power of pm. Let the “stinking games” of opposition begin.
Y pm is against nehru famil?? He was one pm spotless of any hindrance to any thats y he is called chacha nehru n v celebrate bal diwas on 14th nov. Pm shld feel ashame to bypass such grt personality. He likes to blow his own trumpet. Empty vessels make more sound…ha haa chauwala fafda n jalebi khhav baroda chale jaao
Yes,its a grave mistake by Modi.There should be a separate Museum for “Pandit” Nehru to depict his horrendous blunders that have bled the India,be it Kashmir,Chinese aggression & countless others
So much hatred and enimity for Nehru is a sign that modi is chronically suffering from mental health. He is taking the revenge openly , which is not good for democracy. He is digging grave for Congress, possibility is that he may also fall into it . This is a rule of nature
Nehruji, like Everest, can exist in solitary splendour.