Following PM Modi's claim that late PM Rajiv Gandhi had used INS Viraat as his 'personal taxi' for a vacation in the Lakshadweep islands, another claim on similar lines has emerged, this time targetting Rajiv Gandhi's grandfather and India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
A series of photos tweeted by ABP journalist Vikas Bhadauria claims that the use of warships for vacations was started by Nehru himself.
In the photos, Nehru is seen with a young Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi, lounging on a deck, while Indira Gandhi is seated behind them. Another photo shows Nehru in conversation with officers onboard the vessel while Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi are seen dressed in sailor outfits. The third picture is of Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi in posing in their sailor outfits.
According to Bhadauria's tweet, these pictures are from when the Nehru-Gandhi family vacationed aboard INS Delhi, during Nehru's voyage to Indonesia in 1950.
News website MyNation too reported on these pictures, headlining the article as, ‘Not Rajiv but Nehru started tradition of using Navy warships for vacationing in 1950’.
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Was The Nehru-Gandhi Family Vacationing?
A reverse image search of the said photos led us to open media source Wikimedia Commons, which mentioned that the photo was indeed from June 1950, and was taken from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting's Photo Division.
The photo was captioned, "Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister, relaxing with his daughter Indira and grandsons Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi on the deck of INS Delhi, during his voyage to Indonesia during June 1950."
An article in The Indian Express from 7 June 1950 also mentions that Nehru did reach Jakarta aboard the "Indian Navy cruiser Delhi", which was escorted by three "A Class Indian Navy destroyers."
The Indian Express article also reported that Indira Gandhi too was aboard the ship along with her two children, whom she handed into the care of the wife of Indian Ambassador upon her arrival in Jakarta.
However, it is pertinent to note that it was an official visit which lasted 10 days, and was not a vacation, as claimed by Bhadauria.
In fact, ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Indonesia in 2018, reports suggested that Modi himself might opt to sail to Indonesia, recreating history.
According to an article in The Tribune, discussions were made on if PM Modi "could sail in a ship to cover some 80 nautical miles, or 100 km, to Aceh in northern Sumatra from Port Blair," much like Nehru did in his 1950 visit.
However, PM Modi later flew in to Indonesia since he was also scheduled to visit Malaysia and Singapore as part of his three-nation visit.
But Is It Protocol to Use a Warship for Journey?
Speaking to The Quint, former defence secretary Yogendra Narain confirmed that Nehru's actions fall under protocol and there was nothing out of place in his having used INS Delhi for his voyage.
“A prime minister, in his capacity, is freely allowed to board any warship or any aircraft carrier belonging to the government. As PM, he is overall in charge, so there is nothing wrong in that. It fits under protocol.”Former defence secretary Yogendra Narain
Narain further said that late PM Rajiv Gandhi’s dinner party on INS Viraat also was not an issue of contention, as it was made out to be.
“If he (Rajiv Gandhi) was onboard INS Viraat and was inspecting it, and there is a dinner or lunch that is given to him, as is given to any senior official, then that is perfectly alright,” he said.
And what of the presence of Indira and her sons on board with Nehru? That, too, is not an issue, considering Nehru's Indonesia visit was for official purposes, Narain said.
"It is normal for a prime minister to take his family along while on an official trip. Suppose a PM goes on a plane on an official visit to say the US, they would take along their children or their wife, there's nothing wrong if it is part of an official visit. It is perfectly alright," he said.
But if the prime minister opts to make an unscheduled detour en route his official tour, that would be considered a misuse of the vessel, Narain added.
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