Nehru's ideals being attacked, says Kerala CM, Leader of Opposition

India is going through a phase where the ideals of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru are under attack by "communal fascist" forces or being ignored, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition in the assembly, VD Satheesan said on Sunday. The CM and Satheesan's remarks were made in their respective messages on the occasion of Nehru's 132nd birthday, a day also celebrated as Children's Day.

Vijayan, in a Facebook post, said Nehru was one of the most influential political figures of modern India and his long and selfless leadership in the freedom struggle and his diplomacy made India a democratic nation.

He said the country was going through a period in which the values that Nehru stood for are being "severely attacked and forgotten".


Nehru attached great importance to the child welfare and education as he firmly believed that they were the future of India, the CM said.

Echoing CM's views, Satheesan said children and women need to be protected from the various evil forces in the world.

He said, in a video message, that there are communal fascist forces who want "Nehruvian" ideals to be ignored or destroyed as they still feel threatened by his views even after his death.

However, such forces will have to face disappointment as they will not be able to destroy the Nehruvian ideals.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and Member of Parliament K Sudhakaran, in his message on the occasion of Children's Day, said Nehru was instrumental in leading India on the road to development after its independence.

Sudhakaran, according to a release, was speaking at a symposium on 'Jawaharlal Nehru: Philosophy and Contemporary Relevance' organized by KPCC at its headquarters on the occasion of Nehru's birthday.

He said that through the implementation of the Five Year Plans, Nehru was able to streamline the country's development process and achieve social equality.

Nehru's secularism, pluralism and democracy are the cornerstones of this country, the KPCC chief said.

Nehru also showed a high level of cooperation and respect to leaders of opposition in the Parliament even if they did not have the numbers required to be recognised as such, Sudhakaran said and added that the political leaders of today do not show such courtesy.