Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has accused the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) administration of removing the photograph of Jawaharlal Nehru from the main seminar room and replacing it with that of Deen Dayal Upadhyay, one of the founding members of the Jana Sangh.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is the chairman of the NMML, gave strict instructions to the administration that the photograph of Nehru should be restored to its original place.
In an e-mail addressed to NMML director Shakti Sinha, Mr. Ramesh said, “At the NMML Society meeting last [Thursday] evening, I had pointed out that the main photo in the seminar room of NMML is no longer of Jawaharlal Nehru but of Deen Dayal Upadhyay. Nehru’s photo has been shifted to a side wall along with that of others like Mahatma Gandhi and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur. This is shocking and the Home Minister told me that he has instructed that this be rectified. .”
A senior government official confirmed that Mr. Singh had given instructions to restore Nehru’s photograph.
‘Temporary arrangement’
“The issue was discussed at the annual general meeting of the NMML chaired by Mr. Singh. The Minister was informed that the photographs in the seminar room were rearranged temporarily for an exhibition. The Minister asked that Nehru’s photograph be put back in its original place,” the official said.
Mr. Sinha said that he would look into the matter.
Museum controversy
Mr. Ramesh also accused Mr. Sinha of giving a misleading statement that all members had agreed to an amendment paving the way for a separate museum for all Prime Ministers of the country at the Teen Murti Bhavan complex.
“Nobody gave any approval to anything at the NMML Society meeting,” he said in his mail.
Mr. Sinha told The Hindu on Thursday that a decision to construct a separate museum for all PMs was taken at the 43rd annual general meeting of the NMML chaired by Mr. Singh.
Mr. Sinha had said that out of the 21 members, only five opposed the move to create another museum for all PMs and the amendments proposed were passed.
