When Nehru issued 'gag order' against Somnath Temple opening coverage

New Delhi: In the run-up to the Ayodhya Ram Temple opening scheduled to take place on January 22, the media is leaving no stone unturned to magnify the build-up around the historic event.

In this context, a letter written by the country's first prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to his Information and Broadcasting minister RR Diwakar is doing rounds on social media.

In the letter dated April 28, 1951, Nehru passed a gag order to limit the coverage of the Somnath temple opening attended by the first president of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

The Somnath temple was rebuilt after reclaiming the original temple which was broken and converted into a mosque, similar to the Ayodhya Ram Temple. 

While Nehru can be seen referring to the term "Secular" to justify why the government should distance itself from the opening of the temple, social media users pointed out that the restorations of Mughal structures were being done by the government religiously.

The letter is a part of "Selected works of Jawaharlal Nehru / Series 2 / Vol. 16 / Part 1 / Page No. 611."

Full text of the letter:

"My dear Diwakar

I have been rather worried about the ceremonies that are going to take place at Somnath temple. Many inquiries are addressed to me as to whether this is a governmental function or not. I have replied both in India and abroad, as well as in Parliament, that this is not a governmental function, although some Members of Government (N V Gadgil, Minister of Urban Development and Rehabilitation, and K M Munshi, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies) may be personally interested.

As a matter of fact, when I heard that the President was going there, I was not happy about this, and I wrote to him accordingly. Rajaji also agreed with me. After some correspondence, I accepted the fact of the President’s going there because he was anxious to do so and had already promised this. I did so somewhat reluctantly.

I think that this pompous ceremony regarding Somnath temple and any kind of governmental association is going to injure us abroad and even in India. Indeed I am getting many complaints and letters about it. Inquiries are addressed to me if this is how a secular State behaves. All I can say in reply is that this is not a governmental function.

I feel that in the circumstances our radio broadcast should rather tone down the description of what happens at Somnath and not make it appear in any way that it is a governmental function."