The Goa Chief Minister on December 26 said that there is no connection between Jawaharlal Nehru and Children’s Day, and that Veer Bal Diwas is the only true Children’s Day. He was speaking at the Veer Bal Diwas programme, and has received criticism for his statements. The Congress as the opposition party is at the forefront in criticising the CM, which is natural.
The Congress has asked the CM to read about Nehru inorder to learn about his contribution towards children. But, even if the CM is aware of Nehru’s contribution, will he ever acknowledge it publicly? The chances are little to none because BJP’s central leadership has always targeted Nehru and continue to do so. So, it would not be fair to expect the CM to present a stance contradictory to his senior leadership. On the other hand, are the Congress leaders of today aware of Nehru’s contribution? Therefore, keeping aside the political jibes, the main issue is whether Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister contributed to shaping this country.
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In reality, this is a broad topic. Before delving further, it is important to note that the CM’s statement came during the Veer Bal Divas, a day announced by PM Narendra Modi last year during Guru Gobind Singh’s Prakash Purab. So this year’s Veer Baal Divas was in its second year. When Aurangzeb’s army detained Guru Gobind Singh’s family and forced them to convert to Islam, his two young sons Baba Fateh Singh and Baba Zorawar Singh refused. They were killed by being buried alive in the walls and the day was December 26, 1705. Hence, the day is commemorated to honour the martyrdom of Baba Fateh Singh and Zorawar Singh.
Now, Children’s Day is celebrated on November 14. Why? Before Nehru’s death, the United Nations in 1956 announced that the Universal Children’s Day be celebrated on November 14. However, upon Nehru’s death on May 7, 1964, the Indian Parliament unanimously decided to celebrate his birth anniversary as Children’s Day. Now speaking about Nehru’s contribution towards children, he stressed on education for children in order to strengthen the country right from the beginning. The country’s premier institutions such as Indian Institute of Technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Indian Institute of Management were all brainchild of his visionary approach. It would be laughable to think that the BJP leaders would be unaware about this. However, there is a deep-rooted perception in BJP’s think tank that ‘Mission Modi’ will not shine unless Nehru is targeted. The public statements by BJP leaders on multiple occasions have proved that. Practically, it is beyond one’s understanding how decisions of the person who was a prime minister six decades ago can be connected to the present day challenges. However, all senior BJP leaders claim to resolve the complex issues which were allegedly borne out of decisions taken by Nehru.
When Goa was poll-bound last year, Modi criticised Nehru in relation with Goa’s fight for freedom. Modi held Nehru responsible by saying that if Congress wanted to, they could have freed Goa 15 years earlier. He accused Nehru of not sending the Army while freedom fighters were enduring bullets. Since BJP gained power in 2014, Modi in his speeches has constantly targeted Nehru on several issues, including the Partition, the Kashmir issue and Article 370, and so on. Last year, the BJP government built another memorial next to Teen Murti Bhavan which is known as Nehru Museum. The new building is a memorial for all 14 prime ministers to date. BJP cited that it was necessary on the occasion of country’s 75th anniversary of Independence.
Not a single BJP leader was present last year during Nehru’s death anniversary remembrance programme held in the Parliament. Infact, the poster of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav programme released by Indian Council of Historical Research had all the freedom fighters in it except Nehru. Ram Madhav, RSS’ national executive member, has cited the reason behind the conflict between Nehru and RSS. The back and forth began when Mahatma Gandhi was killed in 1948. Nehru accused RSS for the killing Gandhi and banned the organisation. Since then, this divide has only widened. Regardless, no party has been able to grow by skipping Nehru-inspired socialism which has an indelible impact on India’s political system. Even the BJP is well-aware of Nehru’s contribution to shape this country. One of the many examples of that is the founding of ISRO. Now, only expectation from BJP leaders is not to state that there is no connection whatsoever between ISRO and Nehru.
