MP Congress MLAs stage protest, demand Nehru's portrait to be put up in assembly

Bhopal: Congress MLAs on Wednesday staged a protest in the Madhya Pradesh assembly building premises and demanded that a portrait of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru be reinstalled in the House.

The MLAs raised the demand following a row over the Madhya Pradesh Assembly's decision to remove the portrait of Nehru and replace it with that of B R Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution.

Legislators of the opposition Congress, while holding the portraits of Nehru, Ambedkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, raised slogans hailing Nehru.

Security personnel stopped them and the MLAs were later allowed to enter the House without carrying the portraits.

Before entering the assembly building, the Congress legislators also staged a demonstration in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue located in the legislature complex.

Talking to reporters, the leader of the opposition Umang Singhar said, "What was the intention of the BJP behind the removal of Nehru's portrait? Why is the BJP moving ahead with one ideology and eliminating that of Nehru and the Congress? We want that a portrait of Nehru is also put up along with that of Ambedkar." This type of tradition should not be set up, Singhar said, adding he will demand from the speaker that a portrait of Nehru be installed in the House.

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to respect Nehru, he said.

The Congress on Tuesday said it welcomes displaying the portrait of Ambedkar, in the House, but it could have been placed along with the photos of Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru.

The first session of the 16th Madhya Pradesh assembly began here on Monday.

MP Assembly Principal Secretary AP Singh on Tuesday told PTI that the portrait of Nehru was replaced with one of Ambedkar during the last session only.

"The then Speaker Girish Gautam had directed to replace the portrait (of Nehru) in the last session in July as it was very old and getting worn out," he said.

Singh said Gautam had directed to renovate portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru as they were getting worn out.

"As Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary was being observed at that time, the speaker directed to put his portrait in place of Nehru and also ensured that Nehru's portrait was kept in a respectful manner in the Gandhi-Nehru section of the library," Singh said.

"As it was a short duration session, Congress members might have not noticed this change (replacing the portrait)," he had said.