The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on the Congress, alleging that India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru opposed the reconstruction of the Somnath temple after Independence due to what it described as “appeasement politics”.
In a series of posts on social media platform X, BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that while the Somnath temple was plundered by invaders such as Mahmud of Ghazni and Alauddin Khilji in the past, it faced opposition in independent India from Prime Minister Nehru.
Trivedi claimed that Nehru did not support the rebuilding of the Somnath temple and instead prioritised what the BJP termed as “external appeasement” over preserving India’s civilisational and cultural heritage. He further alleged that Nehru glorified Mughal invaders and downplayed historic Hindu symbols.
The BJP leader cited a letter allegedly written by Nehru to Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan on April 21, 1951, as evidence. According to Trivedi, Nehru addressed Khan as “Dear Nawabzada” and described reports about the reconstruction of the Somnath temple as “completely false”.
“Somnath was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni and Khilji in the past, but in independent India, Pandit Nehru harboured the greatest hatred towards Lord Somnath,” Trivedi said in his post.
He alleged that by writing to Liaquat Ali Khan, Nehru attempted to reassure Pakistan that no such reconstruction was taking place. “Pandit Nehru, in a way, surrendered to Liaquat Ali Khan by stating that nothing like the reconstruction of the Somnath temple was happening,” Trivedi claimed.
Questioning Nehru’s intent, Trivedi asked what compelled the then Prime Minister to write to the Pakistani leadership on the issue. “What exactly was Pandit Nehru’s fear from Liaquat Ali Khan that he felt the need to write him a letter about the Somnath temple?” he said, alleging that it reflected “blind appeasement politics”.
The Congress party has not yet responded to the BJP’s allegations.
