"You can still keep the name Nehru Memorial": Shashi Tharoor on Museum renaming row
Jun 16, 2023
New Delhi [India], June 16 : Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday reacted to the Centre's decision to change the name of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) to Prime Minister's Museum and said it could have been renamed as Nehru Memorial Prime Ministers' Museum.
The Culture Ministry said on Friday that it had been decided to change the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society to Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society. The decision was taken at a special meeting of the Memorial Museum and Library Society which was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is the Vice-President of the Society.
"Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is the original name, but now you are changing it into a museum of all Prime Ministers, it's fine but you can still keep the name Nehru Memorial because he was the first and longest-serving Prime Minister," Congress leader said.
"Why can't we leave the past in the past and acknowledge what has happened and move on...the spirit of compromise seems to be missing, it is all about knocking things down..." he added.
Earlier, Kharge said those who do not have a history of their own are out to erase the history of others.
"The condemnable attempt to change the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library cannot belittle the personality of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India and fearless guardian of democracy. This only shows the cheap mentality and dictatorial attitude of BJP-RSS." Kharge said in a tweet.
In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the idea of setting up a museum dedicated to all the prime ministers of India at the Teen Murti premises.
This project was approved by Executive Council, NMML in its 162nd meeting held in November 2016. The Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was opened to the public on April 21 last year.
During the inauguration, despite having received an invitation from the government, no member of the Nehru-Gandhi family was present for the function. Three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi have served as Prime Ministers of the country.
The Culture Ministry release said that the Museum is a seamless blend which begins at the renovated and refurbished Nehru Museum building, "now completely updated with technologically advanced displays on the life and contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru".
"Housed in a new building the museum then goes on to tell the story of how our Prime Ministers navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured the all-round progress of the country. It recognizes all the Prime Ministers, thereby democratizing the institutional memory," the release said.
