“It is a false propagation to blame Nehru for the partition of the country. Instead, Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah had sown the seeds of partition on the basis of religion. Hindu Mahasabha leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar also endorsed the idea”, said Baghel.
Baghel was addressing a symposium “Nehru Ka Bharat”, held here at Congress’s state headquarters Rajiv Bhawan on Monday morning to mark the death anniversary of the first prime minister.
While delivering the keynote address at the symposium Baghel said “It was Nehru who laid the foundation of modern India. He had a foresight and an effective philosophy, which is well depicted in ‘Discovery of India’ penned by him.”
Based on the book, a 53-episode historical drama ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’ was made for the Doordarshan by Shyam Benegal.
“Nehru had a modern approach and was against orthodoxy. It was due to his foresightedness that he had created institutions like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMMS), IITs, Indian National Committee for Space Research, (which later became Indian Space Research Organization).
It was the vision of Nehru which led the country towards becoming a global power,” Baghel said.
Referring to Nehru, he said he was the architect of the "first-ever national consciousness and national unity". He further added that “Nehru took this consciousness forward and made it an everyday experience for Indians”.
Noted thinker and writer Purushottam Agrawal throwing light on Nehru’s personality said he was ahead of his time and that’s why he could contemplate about a new era that was to be dawned.
It was his foresightedness that became foundation of atomic energy in India, he said.
Criticizing the present day’s politics, Agrawal said leaders of contemporary time were involved in divisive politics and were against taking all the sections together in the path of progress.
“Solidarity of the country could only be attained if all the sections of the society are united. When the society is divided, we can’t think of progress,” he added.
Naming a critic of Nehru, Rahul Sankritayan, Agrawal said “Nehruji was never afraid of his critics but had appreciated them time to time for showing him right path”.
Agrawal also remembered Nehru and Gandhi for their contribution towards women empowerment and gender equality.
Talking about present scenario and role of the Congress in nation building, Agrawal said “Congress is not only fighting a political battle but is also engaged in an ideological battle.”
Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, newly elected Member of Parliament Deepak Baij, MLAs Satyanarayan Sharma and Dhanendra Sahu and a large number of Congress workers were also present on this occasion along with distinguished intellectuals.