The portrait of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was reportedly removed from the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad city of Telangana during the exhibition conducted as per the Centre’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative.
Instead, the wall of the museum was adorned with the portrait of freedom fighter Veer Savarkar and his other contemporaries such as MK Gandhi, Ashfaqulla Khan and Kanhu Murmu. As per reports, the name ‘Nehru’ was omitted from the independence timeline, including the hosting of the Indian tricolour by him on August 15, 1947.
Interestingly, it was India’s first Prime Minister who opened the Salar Jung Museum to the public on July 23, 1963. While speaking about the matter, a museum authority informed that the decision was taken to highlight the contribution of unsung heroes of the freedom movement.
“There is no specific reason for skipping Jawaharlal Nehru. We just wanted to highlight the unsung heroes of the freedom struggle rather than focusing on the widely known activists. Jawaharlal Nehru is far more famous than these personalities and they require more spotlight.,” the official added.
Hyderabad Youth Congress President Motha Rohit and his team protest in Salar Jung museum and Sanghi’s Sarkar for not placing the portrait of pandit Nehru the first prime Minister of the country and placing savarkar’s photo who has written mercy letters to British.Well done 👍 https://t.co/JQkt8X9KFQ pic.twitter.com/M9GONyV9JN
— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳✋மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) May 28, 2022
The decision by the Centre drew the ire of Telangana Congress party workers, who hit the streets in protest. They claimed that Veer Savarkar, who spent his prime years in Cellular Jail in Port Blair, had no contribution to the freedom movement.
The Congress workers had also sought an apology from the Modi government and the removal of the portrait of Veer Savarkar. On Friday (May 27), Congress leader Manickam Tagore alleged, “Sanghi’s always do ..write Lies as Truth .. hide true Heroes and place fake heroes.. now in Salar Jung Museum. We won’t keep silence before lies.”
“Hyderabad Youth Congress President Motha Rohit and his team protest in Salar Jung museum and Sanghi’s Sarkar for not placing the portrait of Pandit Nehru the first prime minister of the country and placing Savarkar’s photo who has written mercy letters to British. Well done,” he further added.
Hyderabad Youth Congres under the leadership of @MothaRohit protested against Union govt’s decision to replace Nehru ji ‘s potrait with Savarkar at Salar Jung Museum.
— Telangana Congress (@INCTelangana) May 29, 2022
Govt now backtracked in typical Savarkar fashion and placed Nehru ji’s potrait back. pic.twitter.com/85WMeOIMd9
In a tweet on Sunday (May 29), the Telangana Congress claimed that the ‘backlash’ faced by the Centre had forced it to restore the portrait of India’s former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the Salar Jung Museum.
Good work . Power must bend before The voice of Youth https://t.co/MsZV00UCLm
— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳✋மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) May 29, 2022
The development was also confirmed by Manickam Tagore. Congress leader V Hanumanth Rao also hinted at a ‘conspiracy’ by the Centre for replacing Nehru’s portrait on his death anniversary.
He said, “I would like to know what message you wanted to give to the next generations by altering the great history, especially the freedom movement. What was the reason behind organizing it on May 27- the exact day of the death anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It was a great insult to the first Prime Minister of India and a well-knit conspiracy.”
