Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the ruling establishment, alleging that a “carefully crafted project” is underway to vilify India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Speaking at Jawahar Bhawan during the inauguration of the Nehru Centre India, Gandhi said that sustained attempts are being made to diminish Nehru’s role in shaping modern India and to rewrite history for political gains.
Gandhi accused the BJP-led government of spearheading a “systematic and deliberate effort” to discredit Nehru’s legacy—both as a freedom fighter and as the architect of post-Independence India. “What is not acceptable is the systematic attempt being made to denigrate, distort, demean, and defame him,” she said, alleging that the motive is to “erase a towering figure and the very foundations on which independent India stands.”
According to Gandhi, this agenda is driven by an ideology “that had no participation in the freedom movement or the framing of the Constitution,” and one that, she claimed, fostered the hateful climate that led to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.
She warned that the objective behind “vilifying Nehru” goes far beyond political rivalry.
“Let there be no doubt that the project to denigrate Jawaharlal Nehru is the primary objective of the ruling establishment. Their goal is not just to erase him; it is to dismantle the social, political, and economic foundations on which India was built,” the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson said.
Gandhi added that while critiques of historical figures are natural and welcome, the attempt to separate Nehru from the context of his times has become widespread—something she termed intellectually dishonest and politically motivated. “Nehru remains a beacon of light for millions of Indians,” she said, stressing that his legacy must be evaluated with historical responsibility.
BJP Responds: ‘We Have Only Exposed His Mistakes’
The BJP swiftly dismissed Gandhi’s allegations, arguing that it is the Congress that undermined Nehru’s legacy by refusing to acknowledge his failures. Party leaders maintained that the BJP has never disrespected Nehru but has highlighted what they describe as “historical missteps” that Congress governments tried to conceal.
