Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has sharply criticised the BJP-led government, alleging a coordinated attempt to vilify Jawaharlal Nehru and undermine his legacy. Speaking at the launch of the Nehru Centre India at Jawahar Bhawan, she warned that a systematic effort was underway to distort and diminish the role of India’s first prime minister.
Gandhi argued that this attempt went far beyond political critique. “The sole objective,” she said, “is not only to diminish him as a personality or undermine his universally recognised role in India’s fight for freedom and early nation-building, but also to demolish his multifaceted legacy in a crude and self-serving attempt to rewrite history.”
“Totally Unacceptable”: Sonia Gandhi on Attempts to Recast History
Highlighting the growing trend of misrepresentation, Gandhi stressed that while healthy analysis of Nehru’s ideas and contributions was welcome, deliberate distortion was not. “Analysis is one thing,” she noted, “but deliberate mischief with what he said, what he wrote, and what he did is quite another, and totally unacceptable.”
#WATCH | Delhi | Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi says, “…While we welcome ongoing analysis of his (former PM Jawaharlal Nehru) contributions, what is not acceptable is the systematic attempt being made to denigrate, distort, demean and defame him. The sole… pic.twitter.com/qyj5osmOeN
— ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2025
She accused those behind these alleged efforts of belonging to an ideology that had no role in the freedom struggle or the drafting of the Constitution. Gandhi further claimed that this ideology nurtured the climate of hate that led to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, and that its adherents continue to glorify his killers even today.
Nehru’s Legacy Still a “Beacon of Light”, Says Sonia
Despite renewed criticism of Nehru, Gandhi emphasised that he remained a towering figure whose legacy continues to inspire millions. However, she warned of a growing temptation to judge Nehru without historical context, overlooking the extraordinary challenges he faced in the early years of a newly independent India.
“Let there be no doubt whatsoever,” she asserted, “that the project to vilify Jawaharlal Nehru is the main objective of the ruling establishment today. Their goal is not just to erase him; it is actually to destroy the social, political, and economic foundations on which our nation has been built.”
It is inevitable that such a monumental figure (Pt. Nehru) will have his life and work analysed and critiqued — and that is indeed as it should be.
Although the temptation to divorce him from his times, the challenges he had to face, and to look at him devoid of the historical… pic.twitter.com/GZhnP3eQUc
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 5, 2025
“Who Are the Forces Behind This Project?”
Gandhi also sought to separate genuine academic critique from what she described as deliberate political targeting. She reiterated that those attempting to malign Nehru were driven by an ideology “with a bigoted and viciously communal outlook”, founded on stoking social and political prejudices.
She claimed these forces had opposed the Constitution from the outset and continued to reject the ideals upheld by India’s founding leaders. Gandhi concluded her address with a call for collective action, stressing that the road ahead would be challenging but necessary. “We owe it not just to the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru and his comrades, but to ourselves and future generations,” she said. “Each one of us must stand up and confront this project.”
BJP Hits Back: “Congress Underestimated Nehru, Not Us”
The BJP rejected Gandhi’s accusations, arguing that it was the Congress, not the ruling party, that had undervalued Nehru’s contributions. Party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan questioned why the family did not use the Nehru surname if they held him in such esteem.
“It’s time she stops crying wolf,” Vadakkan said, adding that the BJP had merely highlighted aspects of Nehru’s tenure, including controversies and the 1962 Sino-India war, which had been previously “covered up”. Highlighting that “human beings make mistakes”, he said acknowledging historical realities did not amount to disrespect.
