Why no space for ex-PMs at Central Vista, asks Congress

The All India Congress Committee reacted to the conversion of Jawaharlal Nehru's memorial, Teen Murti Bhavan, into a museum for all former PMs by saying that the party has no problem with building an archives for the ex-PMs but sought to know why some space for them could not have been created at the new central vista and the new PM's house that are being built.

"I think to write new history, there is no need to wipe out the old history," AICC spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said in response to media queries. "We have no problem with the PMs' archives. But, since such a big central vista and a new house for the PM are being made, perhaps some place in it should have also been given to the former PMs. Is there no space there or in the heart for the former PMs?"

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra did not comment on the issue.


The spokesperson said every PM has made contributions to nation-building and that each of their roles should be respected. "It is also a fact that the earlier governments used to make education, health and social justice as the basic foundation to create history. It is a different thing PM Modi ji thinks by indulging in renovation and beautification he will write history, even though history can't be made that way," she said. "Modi ji is spending ₹20,000 crore for making a central vista and a house for himself as it has always been his attempt to ensure history began only since he came to power on 14 May 2014."

Stressing that the nation's history and culture are very old, Shrinate said, "History is so glorious that PM Modi does not even want to refer to China or about a PM who broke Pakistan into two pieces and redrew the map of the world."