BJP aims not to erase Nehru, but to destroy him: Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has alleged that the BJP’s objective is not merely to erase Jawaharlal Nehru, but to destroy his legacy and the foundational values on which the nation stands.
Speaking at the Nehru Centre India event held at Jawahar Bhawan, Gandhi said that while analysis and criticism of Nehru’s contributions are welcome, deliberately twisting his words and writings is unacceptable.
Without naming the BJP or RSS directly, she said it is evident that the primary goal of the current administration is to blame Nehru for everything. According to her, the intention is not only to wipe out Nehru’s memory but to dismantle the social, political, and economic foundation of India itself.
Her remarks come days after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stirred controversy by claiming that Nehru wanted to use public funds to construct the Babri Masjid, a move he said was stopped by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The Congress has dismissed Singh’s claim as false and accused him of attempting to fuel polarization.
Gandhi further stated that those attacking Nehru today had no role in the freedom struggle nor in the drafting of the Constitution. She added that the ideology behind these attacks had long cultivated an atmosphere of hatred, culminating in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Yet today, she said, the followers of Gandhi’s killers continue to glorify them.
While acknowledging that it is natural to analyze and critique the life of such a towering figure, she asserted that systematic attempts to rewrite history and tarnish Nehru’s legacy for narrow political motives cannot be accepted.
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Earthquake off Indonesia topples buildings, kills 1, sets off small tsunami
Manado (Indonesia) (AP): An undersea earthquake of 7.4 magnitude toppled buildings in parts of northern Indonesia, sent people fleeing from their homes, killed at least one person and generated a small tsunami Thursday.
Waves up to 75 cm (30 inches) above normal tides were recorded at several monitoring stations about a half-hour after the earthquake, which was centred in the Molucca Sea.
Indonesia's meteorological agency lifted its tsunami warning hours after the quake, and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said there was no destructive threat to the country, which is north of the quake's epicentre.
Strong shaking lasting 10 to 20 seconds was felt in Bitung in North Sulawesi province as well as in Ternate city in neighbouring North Maluku province, according to Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency.
Initial assessments showed light to severe damage in parts of Ternate, including a church and two houses. In Bitung, damage assessments were still underway, the agency said.
Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency reported a 70-year-old woman died in a building collapse in North Sulawesi's Manado city and another resident was injured. At least three injured people were hospitalised in Ternate.
Videos released by the rescue agency showed damaged structures and flattened houses, while television stations broadcast scenes of people rushing outside and gathering in streets to avoid the risk of collapsing buildings.
Nearly 50 aftershocks were felt in nearby areas.
“We had just woken up and suddenly the earthquake hit... we all ran out of the house,” Bitung resident Marten Mandagi said. “The shaking was very strong.”
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 280 million people, sits on major seismic faults and is frequently hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
