Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has lashed out at the present government’s decision to restructure the Teen Murti complex in a strongly-worded letter written last week.
The letter, written amidst the furore over the government’s proposal to set up a museum for all the Indian Prime Ministers within the Teen Murti complex, alleged the move was “an agenda” to “change the nature and character” of the Nehru Memorial Museum Library, and the complex.
Addressing the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh also reportedly hit out at the government for attempting to “obliterate” Nehru’s role and contributions to the country through “revisionism.”
According to The Indian Express, Singh referred to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime, stating that “absolutely no attempt” was made to change the character of the Teen Murti Complex then.
Singh further wrote that Vajpayee had in fact even said, in a speech following Nehru’s death that no person resembling Nehru’s greatness could ever take residence in Teen Murti Bhavan again.
Singh reportedly wrote:
Let us respect this sentiment and keep Teen Murti as a memorial to our first Prime Minister Pandit Nehru and leave the Teen Murti complex undisturbed as it is. This way, we will be respecting both history and heritage.
In response to Singh’s letter, Shakti Sinha, the director of NMML, reportedly said that it was “not clear” as to how exhibiting photos and works of other prime ministers would “harm Nehru’s legacy.”
What NMML has decided to do is to increase its ambit and make it a centre for information and research on prime ministers. NMML is a national institute focusing on contemporary India. NMML is already much more than Nehru.Sinha, as quoted in an NDTV report
According to an NDTV report, the government is believed to have begun work on the second museum, which is touted to cost around Rs 280 crore.
(With inputs from The Indian Express, NDTV)
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