Congress convenes meeting of state chiefs for Jawaharlal Nehru's 125th anniversary

NEW DELHI: A meeting of Congress' state chiefs have been convened here on October 7 to chalk out plans for nation-wide celebrations of the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru at a time when the legacy of India's first Prime Minister is perceived to be under attack from the ruling BJP.

Congress plans to come out with a souvenir to commemorate the event this year after culmination of the year-long celebrations on his birth anniversary on November 14.

A major event is being planned in the national capital on that day which will be the concluding function of the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Nehru.

The October 7 meeting is likely to finalise the party's plans to organise a proper and final closing functions of Nehru's anniversary in a big way to highlight the relevance of his thought and contribution.

The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs have been asked to come out with detailed report of the programmes that have been organised in the last one year to celebrate the event, which will be incorporated in the souvenir.

Party veteran AK Antony who heads the Celebrations Committee had on Monday held a meeting with AICC General Secretaries in which he had directed them to ask state units to hold functions at the state and district-level on the occasion.

Congress has been targeting the Narendra Modi dispensation of allegedly seeking to destroy the secular vision of the first Prime Minister. The Congress has been accusing the Prime Minister of appropriating the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel as well.

Recently, there was controversy over government's plans to "revamp" the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library whose director Mahesh Rangrajan has since resigned.