Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Kashmir would not have become an issue had Sardar Patel, instead of Jawaharlal Nehru, been the country’s first Prime Minister, Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit back with a video of Home Minister Rajnath Singh praising Nehru.
Posting a November 2015 video, in which the Home Minister acknowledges Nehru’s contribution, the Mr. Gandhi tweeted: “Thank you Rajnath Singh ji for speaking the truth to power. Satyamev Jayate.”
In the video that is a little over a minute, Mr. Singh calls Pandit Nehru a seasoned and experienced freedom fighter. He goes on to describe the first Prime Minister as one of the tall leaders who ensured parliamentary democracy, an independent judiciary and a vibrant media.
The video is of an event that was held at Teen Murti to commemorate Nehru’s birth anniversary. Mr Singh had also said in his speech that many respected journals in developed countries wrote highly about Pandit Nehru.
These comments are in stark contrast to what Mr. Modi had said during his speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, while replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President for his address. “How can one of the leaders say India got democracy due to Pandit Nehru and Congress party? Is this their reading of India’s history? What arrogance is this,” he had asked.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma hit back saying Mr. Modi was “intellectually inadequate” to appreciate Nehru’s contributions.
