Controversy erupts over replacement of Nehru’s poster in MP legislative assembly

BHOPAL: A controversy erupted on the first day of winter session of the Madhya Pradesh assembly over the replacement of a portrait of former Prime Miner Jawaharlal Nehru with that of Dr. BR Ambedkar in the House. India’s first Prime Miner Jawaharlal Nehru. (HT file) There had been two portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru on both sides of the wall behind the seat of the Speaker since 1996. Stay tuned with breaking news on HT Channel on Facebook. Join Now Congress leaders argued that they didn’t have any problem with the poster of Ambedkar but they shouldn’t have replaced the poster of first Prime Miner Jawaharlal Nehru. “It was a conspiracy of the BJP to change hory. We welcome the move to install the poster of BR Ambedkar but it is highly objectionable that they removed the picture of Nehru. Nehru was a freedom fighter and his contribution towards India can’t be ignored like that. We will raise a demand to put a poster of Nehru again in the House,” said Ajay Singh, senior Congress leader and MLA from Churhat. MP Legislative Assembly principal secretary AP Singh said, “The posters were in a bad shape so previous speaker Girish Gautam had taken a decision in July this year to replace them. It was his decision to put a poster of Father of Indian Constitution BR Ambedkar in the House.” On Monday, the Assembly also witnessed the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected MLAs. Chief miner Mohan Yadav, leader of Opposition in the state assembly Umang Singhar and deputy chief miners Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Deveda took oath. Former chief miner Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath in the fifth position. BJP MLA Narendra Singh Tomar filed nomination for the post of assembly Speaker. He will be elected unopposed. The speaker of the Assembly will be elected on December 20. Chief miner Mohan Yadav said, “Our double engine is continuously implementing the public welfare and development schemes launched under the leadership of Prime Miner Narendra Modi effectively. Former CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan told the media, “There has been a generation change. Mohan Yadav is the chief Miner and Umang Singhar is the Leader of Opposition. Generation change is a natural process. This is visible on both sides. I have full confidence that under the leadership of chief miner Dr. Mohan Yadav, the state will reach new heights of progress and development.” Chouhan will meet BJP national president JP Nadda in Delhi on Tuesday. “I will attend a meeting Delhi on Tuesday as the national president JP Nadda had called me up,” he said.