‘Lies’: Cong slams BJP’s criticism of Nehru over Somnath temple row

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday slammed the BJP for accusing first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru of indulging in appeasement politics over the Somnath temple issue, saying the ruling party was resorting to “lies and half-truths” by selectively quoting from Nehru’s letters.

Congress leader Piyush Babele said when the BJP is raising the issue of then President Rajendra Prasad’s participation in the rebuilt Somnath temple inauguration, it must answer why President Droupadi Murmu was not invited to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“They (BJP) are serving lies and presenting it as truth, they are serving half truths. They selectively pull out Nehru’s letters with the context taken away as the letters written before and after are not talked about,” Babele said in a video that was reposted by Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh on X.

Meanwhile, the BJP launched a fresh attack, alleging that while the Somnath temple was plundered by Mahmud of Ghazni and Alauddin Khilji in the past in independent India, Nehru hated Lord Somnath the most.

In a series of posts on X, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that Nehru did not want the Somnath temple rebuilt after Independence due to his “blind appeasement politics,” which led him to glorify even Mughal invaders.

Instead of countering Pakistani propaganda or defending India’s “civilisational memory”, Nehru chose to “appease” Pakistan by downplaying historic Hindu symbols and prioritised “external appeasement over internal self-confidence”, the BJP Rajya Sabha MP charged, citing letters of the first prime minister.

“Somnath was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni and Khilji in the past, but in independent India, Pandit Nehru harboured the greatest hatred towards Lord Somnath,” Trivedi said.

He said the most “striking example” of this is a letter by Nehru to then prime minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, on April 21, 1951.

Nehru addressed Khan as “Dear Nawabzada” and described the story of the Somnath temple gates as “completely false”, the BJP leader alleged.

“Pandit Nehru, in a way, surrendered to Liaquat Ali Khan, writing that nothing like the reconstruction of the Somnath temple was taking place,” he said.

“What exactly was Pandit Nehru’s fear from Liaquat Ali Khan that he felt the need to write him a letter about the Somnath temple? What else was this if not blind appeasement politics and the glorification of Mughal invaders?” he asked.