In Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Nehru Out, Ambedkar In, Congress Protests
NDTV
The BJP retained control of Madhya Pradesh after a thumping win in last month's election; the party claimed 163 of 230 seats, and the Congress just 66.
The new BJP government in Madhya Pradesh held its first Assembly session Monday and triggered a row after a portrait of the late former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was swapped out for one of the late Dr BR Ambedkar. The portrait of Nehru was one of two behind the Speaker's Chair; the other is one of Mahatma Gandhi and that has not, so far, been removed.
The change prompted protests from the opposition Congress, which accused its rival of "working day and night to erase history". "We condemn the removal of Nehruji's photograph from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly," Abbas Hafeez, the party's spokesperson, posted on X (formerly Twitter).
"It is unfortunate for the country that the BJP is in power today. The BJP is working day and night to erase history. Removing the picture of the country's first Prime Minister, which had been hung in the Assembly for decades, shows the mentality of the BJP," Mr Hafeez said.
