On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya in New Delhi. Now, you may think that it is a normal development. However, the museum being inaugurated at the Teen Murti complex makes it an extraordinary development.
Read more: Why are the liberals outraging on Teen Murti Bhavan issue?
Teen Murti complex gets expanded
The Teen Murti complex is presently associated with only the first Prime Minister of the country, Jawaharlal Nehru. However, the newly inaugurated museum building integrates the Teen Murti Bhawan (Block I) with the newly constructed Block II.
Read more: All prime ministers to get space in Teen Murti Bhavan
Why is the left-liberal ecosystem jittery?
The Teen Murti Bhawan used to be Nehru’s residence. So, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) was set up in his memory at the venue.
In 2018, the Modi government announced a plan to establish a museum for the former Prime Ministers of the country. At the 43rd annual general meeting of the NMML, the proposal was considered and cleared by then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The decision was however opposed by Congress and the left-liberal ecosystem and was described as an attempt to dilute first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy. Now, this was more of an outburst from the Lutyens’ lobby that has always insisted on maintaining the exclusivity of Nehru’s persona.
However, PM Modi has made it clear that the contribution of all former Prime Ministers needs to be acknowledged and honoured.
Nehru was not the only Prime Minister
The Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is actually a symbol of non-partisan politics. A press release by the Prime Minister’s Office stated, “Guided by the vision of PM Modi to honour the contribution of all the Prime Ministers of India towards nation-building, the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is a tribute to every Prime Minister of India since Independence, irrespective of their ideology or tenure in office.”
Prime Minister Modi too emphasised that the purpose of the museum is to recognise the contribution of all the former Prime Ministers and acknowledge their contribution to the country’s development.
PM Modi said, “It is my good fortune that today I have got the opportunity to dedicate the Prime Minister’s Museum to the nation. Every Prime Minister of the country has contributed immensely to the fulfilment of the goals of Constitutional democracy. To remember him is to know the journey of an independent India”.
He added, “Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya will become the source of inspiration for the generations to come. Here, our youth will be able to witness the hardships each Prime Minister faced and how they overcame it all to lay the foundations of New India”. The Prime Minister also said, “Today PM Sangrahalaya has also become a living reflection of the shared heritage of each government that served the country”.
The museum thus makes a statement. It makes one thing clear- India has reached its present state of evolution due to the efforts of 14 Prime Ministers. Some of them led the country during wars. Some of them took the country out of an economic crisis and still some others helped India become a nuclear power. The citizens of the country have a right to know about all of them. And there is nothing political about this. The former PMs of the country represented different parties and different ideologies. So, almost everyone is getting represented.
By inaugurating the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, PM Modi has therefore corrected a major anomaly.