Need for debating ideologies despite differences: Rajnath Singh

NEW DELHI: The year-long birth centenary celebrations of RSS ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya kicked off today with Home Minister Rajnath Singh stressing upon the need for debate on every ideology, notwithstanding the differences of opinion.

"In India, there are some people who want to restrict any debate around a few individuals. Our belief is no matter how many ideologies there are, there can be differences of opinion regarding them, but there should be debate on all ideologies," Singh said.

He was speaking at an event at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) to launch the birth centenary celebrations of Upadhyaya, one of the foremost leaders of Bhartiya Jan Sangh, BJP's forerunner, where Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also paid tributes to the leader.

Asked why NMML was chosen for the launch of celebrations, Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said it was not an attempt at "saffronisation".

"To call this saffronisation is indicative of a small mindset. For us Nehruji is as revered. Today we are celebrating Deen Dayalji's birth annivarsary. I think it is fortunate if, as per the objectives behind this institution, apart from Nehruji, others who contributed to the freedom struggle or making of modern India also find place here," Sharma told reporters.

He had recently said the government will undertake a major overhaul of 39 institutions, including the Gandhi Smriti and Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, to introduce modern Indian component, including works of the Modi dispensation, a move that was termed as "diabolical" by Congress.