In a rare and forceful public address, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the ruling establishment, alleging a sustained campaign to “vilify” India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Speaking at the launch of the Nehru Centre India at Jawahar Bhawan in New Delhi, Gandhi said the BJP’s efforts go beyond political criticism and amount to an attempt to “destroy the social, political and economic foundations” on which modern India rests.
Without directly naming the BJP or the RSS, her message was unmistakable. She stated that organisations leading this “project” had no role in the freedom struggle nor in drafting the Constitution, yet were now attempting to reshape history. Gandhi accused them of propagating an ideology that once fuelled the hate which led to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, and said the same ideology is now being used to stoke communal prejudices.
Her remarks come amid a political storm triggered by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent claim that Nehru wanted to use public funds to build the Babri Masjid a statement the Congress has strongly rejected as fabricated and inflammatory.
Sonia Gandhi said it was valid to analyse Nehru’s decisions, but unacceptable to “denigrate, distort, demean and defame” him through deliberate mischief. She argued that Nehru was increasingly being judged outside historical context, with his contributions reduced to political talking points. According to her, this was part of a larger effort to rewrite history in a way that suits the ruling party.
She urged citizens and political leaders alike to confront this “systematic attempt” to demolish Nehru’s legacy. The road ahead, she admitted, would not be easy, but insisted there was no choice but to stand firm against such distortions.
