Accidental PM Row: Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, while addressing an event at Maharishi Dayanand University in Rohtak, Haryana, said that veteran Congress leader and India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was an ‘accidental Prime Minister’. He said that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Baba Saheb Dr. BR Ambedkar were worthy candidates for this post. He said that Baba Saheb or Sardar Patel could have become the first Prime Minister of independent India, but Nehru was made the PM. Congress leaders have reacted sharply to this comment.
According to the report, the Union Minister, while addressing a gathering at Maharshi Dayanand University, said, “I want to say that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became the Prime Minister by accident. He was replaced by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr. BR Ambedkar (India’s first PM) were entitled to become.” Former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar has given rise to a new controversy by calling Pandit Nehru an accidental Prime Minister. Politics has intensified regarding this.
Congress hit back
Former Chief Minister of Haryana and Congress leader Bhupendra Singh Hooda said that it does not suit someone who himself became the accidental Chief Minister (of Haryana) to say so. He said that no other party has given as much respect to Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar as the Congress Party. It was the Congress Party that had made Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly. At the same time, Hooda has demanded from the state government that the farmers whose crops have been damaged should get compensation.
Bhupendra Singh Hooda also took a sarcasm about the farmers’ movement and said that the central government should give up its stubborn attitude and talk to the farmers so that a solution can be found. He also expressed concern about Dallewal’s deteriorating condition. Taking a dig at the present state government, Bhupendra Hooda said that crime is increasing day by day during the present government and the state government has failed to control it.
Nehru will remain at the center of politics
This is not the first time that a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader has spoken against Nehru. Last month, many BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, had attacked India’s first Prime Minister during political rhetoric regarding Ambedkar.
CM Yogi had launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that the Congress had repeatedly insulted ‘the architect of India’s Constitution’ Ambedkar during his lifetime and weakened his legacy after his death. He also claimed that Nehru was against Ambedkar’s inclusion in the Constitution drafting committee.
Also read- No Helmet No Fuel: In this state, if you do not wear a helmet, you will not get petrol, new rule will be implemented to reduce road accidents.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge last month accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the nation by “distorting facts” about Nehru’s letter to states on reservation.
VIDEO | “I want to say that Pandit JL Nehru became a prime minister by accident. In his place, someone who deserved it (to become India’s first PM) was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr BR Ambedkar,” says Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (@mlkhattar), while addressing a gathering… pic.twitter.com/vJwwlEyGhr
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 12, 2025