New Delhi: A massive row has broken out over the Karnataka government leaving out India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s photo from a tribute to the freedom fighters of the country.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh has hit out at the BJP-led government in Karnataka stating “Nehru will survive such pettiness”. While Nehru’s name was not included, the advertisement by the Karnataka government did include Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, and Subhash Chandra Bose, among others.
Many other Congress leaders also criticised the Karnataka government for the advertisement that was published in newspapers. While the list left out Nehru, it included Savarkar’s name and titled it ‘Revolutionary Savarkar’.
“Vinayak Damodar Savarkar published several books which advocated obtaining complete independence through revolutionary means. He was imprisoned in Andaman Nicobar and subjected to excessive toruture,” reads the advertisement.
“Nehru will survive such pettiness. CM Karnataka desperate to save his job knows what he has done is an insult to his father SR Bommai & hos father’s 1st political guru MN Roy both great Nehru admirers, the latter being a friend as well. Pathetic this is,” said Jairam Ramesh in a tweet.
“His [Nehru] picture is already there in the sketch along with Mahatma Gandhi, Rani Lakshmi Bai, and other leaders. The opposition is trying to blow it up by showing to the people something which is not true,” said Mohan Krishna, a BJP leader, clarifying the government’s position.
The full-page advertisement by the Department of Information and Public Relations, of the Karnataka state government, has published it under the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign. “The history of India’s independence movement is filled with the sacrifices of millions of Indians. Today, as we celebrate India’s 76th year of Independence, we must remember and pay tribute to them and take the pledge to emulate their selfless patriotism,” the advertisement further said.
On August 2, Prime Minister Modi had urged social media users to change their display pictures to the tricolour to mark the 75th year of Independence. Following this, the Congress and some of its leaders changed their display pictures on social media accounts to an image of Jawaharlal Nehru holding the national flag, which led to the BJP questioning the party’s ‘dynastic’ attitude.
(Edited by Siddarth Muralidharan)
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