NEW DELHI: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday called Jawahal Lal Nehru’s appointment as the first Prime Minister of India “accidental”, prompting criticism from Congress.
“I want to say that Pandit Jawahar Lal 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 said, while addressing a gathering at Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak.
Hitting back at Khattar, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, “He himself became an accidental chief minister and that’s why he is talking like this.”
Hooda went on to criticise the BJP government in Haryana and said: “The BJP government has no achievements of its own. Despite being in power for 10 years, Haryana has reached the lowest level in terms of per capita income, per capita investment, employment under BJP rule.”
Meanwhile, BJP has, at several occasions accused Congress of being a “hypocrite” and not giving Sardar Patel and BR Ambedkar their due.
This comes weeks after the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. His death sparked a debate over whether a memorial should be built at the cremation site, in line with the tradition of honoring former prime ministers in this manner.