Sunday, December 15, 2024

Mixed bag: New row related to Nehru's letters to Lady Mountbatten ::: PM Modi greets valiant soldiers on Vijay Diwas :::::::: Sri Lankan Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on first state visit to India, received by President Murmu

Rizwan Kadri, a member of the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library (PMML) Society, has written a letter to Sonia Gandhi in September 2024 --


"...requesting that the 51 cartoons from approximately eight different sections, which were part of the Nehru collections at the Prime Ministers’ Museum (formerly the Nehru Memorial), be either returned to the institution, or we be granted permission to scan them, or provided with their scanned copies". 





This would allow us to study them and facilitate research by various scholars,” he said.


The documents include important correspondences between Jawaharlal Nehru and Lady Mountbatten, as well as letters exchanged with Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant, Jayaprakash Narayan, and others. 


"These letters are a significant part of Indian history and have been proven through records to have been withdrawn from the museum in 2008 at Sonia Gandhi’s direction,” Rizwan Kadri added.

He also mentioned that after receiving no response from Sonia Gandhi, he wrote another letter to Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on the same.


“Since no response was received from her, I have requested Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to help in getting these materials restored. I have also urged him to consider that these documents are part of the nation’s heritage and an important aspect of its history. 


"Until we can view these materials, we cannot determine the reasons for their withdrawal. There must have been some objectionable content for them to have been removed,” Kadri said.


BJP MP Sambit Patra joined the issue stating: 

“From what’s today the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library and formerly Nehru Museum and Library, the then UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi took away 51 cartoons of letters written by Nehru to various personalities including “EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN”! In the recently concluded AGM of the PMML one of the members, Rizwan Kadri has written to LoP Rahul Gandhi and sought his help in getting back the letters from his mother Sonia Gandhi!” Patra said on X.


“What intrigues me is what would have Nehru ji written to EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN that needed censoring and will LOP Rahul help getting back the letters between Nehru and Edwina!” the BJP MP added.


Nehru Museum Memorial and Library in the Teen Murti complex in New Delhi was the official residence of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister and it was set up in his memory as an autonomous institution under the Union Culture Ministry





At the Rashtrapati Bhawan premises, President Droupadi Murmu and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake introduced each other to their respective ministers, diplomats and officers.


This is the Sri Lankan President's first State visit to India.  He was given a ceremonial reception. 

Of course India has been concerned about China's growing hold in Sri Lanka. 







The visiting dignitary will hold a wide-range of talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Dec 16th.

The talks are expected to focus on boosting bilateral engagement in areas of trade, investment, energy and maritime security.  


Leftist Dissanayake came to power in September 2024 on a pledge to fight corruption.

Dissanayake said he had held "productive discussions" with India's finance foreign ministers, as well as national security adviser Ajit Doval.


"Our conversations focused on strengthening Indo-Sri Lanka economic cooperation, enhancing investment opportunities, fostering regional security, and advancing key sectors such as tourism and energy," Dissanayake said in a statement.

"These engagements reaffirm the commitment to deepening the partnership between our two nations."  

India has helped Sri Lanka during its worst financial crisis and lately stepped up infrastructure projects in the island nation.


However, China is Sri Lanka's largest bilateral lender.  Dissanayake is expected to travel to Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders in early 2025.






Prime Minister Modi greets the valiant soldiers on Vijay Diwas



Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Dec 16th,  greeted the valiant soldiers on the occasion of Vijay Diwas.

In a post on X, he wrote:

“Today, on Vijay Diwas, we honour the courage and sacrifices of the brave soldiers who contributed to India’s historic victory in 1971. 

Their selfless dedication and unwavering resolve safeguarded our nation and brought glory to us. This day is a tribute to their extraordinary valour and their unshakable spirit. Their sacrifices will forever inspire generations and remain deeply embedded in our nation’s history.”  


Dec 16 is an important day in the calendar in Indo-Bangladesh bilateral ties


Eight Indian military veterans of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War have reached Dhaka while eight war veterans of the Bangladesh Army arrived in Kolkata to join the Vijay Diwas celebrations in the two countries. 


Vijay Diwas commemorates the Pakistan military's surrender to Indian forces. India's historic victory led to the liberation of Bangladesh.





 



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