E-Paper
‘I respect Nehru, but...’: Kiren Rijiju defends after article draws Cong wrath
The Union minister said he respects Nehru as India's first prime minister but some of his decisions have caused pain and agony to the country.
Amid attacks from the Congress, Union law minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday defended his article about India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and claimed that he, as a law minister, cannot create or distort history, news agency ANI reported. Rijiju responded after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called him "Distorian" citing the article on news website CNN News18.
The Union minister said he respects Nehru as India's first prime minister but some of his decisions have caused pain and agony to the country.
Also Read | On Children's Day, Jairam Ramesh & Kiren Rijiju face-off over Nehru, Kashmir
“Jawaharlal Nehru was our first prime minister, so we all have to respect him. Some of his decisions have caused so much pain and agony to the country. As a law minister, I am not here to create or distort history," ANI quoted Rijiju as saying.
Rijiju added, “If they (Congress) are criticising the article that I have written, it means they are criticising Nehru ji. I have not mentioned anything on my own, it is all part of history and part of the official documents.”
Also Read | The Taste With Vir: Was Supreme Court wrong to release Rajiv Gandhi's assassination convicts?
In the article, Rijiju had listed what he called "Five Nehruvian Blunders of Kashmir", which drew sharp criticism from the Congress. Later, Rijiju responded to the criticism with another article on the same website accusing the grand old party of putting Nehru first and India later.
The minister further said, “The Congress party had created a false narrative by saying that it was Maharaja Hari Singh who deterred in the process of accession of Kashmir with India.”
The minister countered the Congress’s criticism of the article saying he mentioned the points from the speeches and other deliberations of Nehru. “If Nehru Ji himself has admitted that Maharaja Hari Singh wanted the accession of Kashmir with India then why the Congress or anybody would deny that?,” he asked.
In the article, Rijiju stated Nehru called Kashmir a special case and "it would not be right or proper to try to rush things there".
