'Idea of Nehru is part of idea of India': Jairam Ramesh accuses BJP-RSS of targeting former PM's legacy

Ramesh called Prime Minister Narendra Modi the country's 'biggest distorian', claiming that there were now more 'distorians' than historians and that knowledge was the only way to counter them

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday accused the BJP and the RSS of waging a concerted campaign to tarnish Jawaharlal Nehru's legacy, warning that attempts to discredit India's first Prime Minister would ultimately fail as his ideals remained deeply embedded in the country's identity.

"The idea of Nehru is part of the idea of India," he said, asserting that Nehru's legacy was inseparable from the country's identity.

Describing the first Prime Minister as more than an accomplished political leader, Ramesh said Nehru was also a sensitive, decent and good human being -- qualities he said were increasingly difficult to find in politics.

He urged people to challenge the campaign against Nehru with facts and reason rather than allow historical contributions to be dismissed.

Ramesh also highlighted the importance of the Nehru Archive (nehruarchive.in), saying historical documents must be studied in the context of the political and social circumstances in which they were written and the events they recorded.

Ramesh also urged young researchers and students to focus on critical aspects of historiography, the authenticity of historical sources, contextual understanding, and fact-based analysis.

He pointed out that Mahatma Gandhi had written to Nehru just 19 days before his death, saying, "Bahut varsh jiyo aur Hind ke Jawahar bane raho" (May you live for many years and remain the jewel of India).

"He (Nehru) remained Hind ke Jawahar for 50 years," Ramesh said.

The Congress general secretary added that he can say with confidence that without Nehru, the Constituent Assembly would not have been set up and the Constitution would not have been possible.

This has been acknowledged by B R Ambedkar himself, Ramesh said.

Listing the contributions of Nehru, Ramesh said that laying the foundation for our economic policy, and non-alignment becoming the basis of our foreign policy, would not have been possible without him.

"All these contributions are being belittled, and attempts are being made to defame and denigrate Nehru's legacy over the last 12 years," he alleged.

"We must counter this factually with knowledge, and not just through emotions," Ramesh added.

Since Narendra Modi became the prime minister, it has been the BJP-RSS' "systematic strategy, both inside and outside Parliament, to defame and denigrate Nehru's legacy", he said.

"But this cannot succeed; there is a famous book, 'Idea of India'. The idea of Nehru is included in the idea of India. The idea of India and the idea of Nehru are inseparable," Ramesh said.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Ramesh said there are more "distorians" in our country now than historians.

"The prime minister is the biggest distorian; the only way to counter them is knowledge," he stressed.

Congress leaders on Saturday paid tributes to Nehru on his 137th birth anniversary, with Rahul Gandhi describing him as a "jewel" and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge calling him the "principal architect" of modern India.

Born in Allahabad on November 14, 1889, Nehru was India's first prime minister after Independence. He died on May 27, 1964, at the age of 74 in New Delhi.