(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Dec 5 (IANS) Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday warned against what she termed a deliberate attempt to“vilify and erase” Jawaharlal Nehru, claiming it forms part of a larger project to undermine the very foundations on which the Indian republic was built.

Speaking at the launch of the Nehru Centre India at Jawahar Bhavan, she said the forces targeting Nehru subscribe to an ideology that“had no role in the freedom movement or in drafting the Constitution” and one that“fanned hatred leading to Mahatma Gandhi's assassination”.

She alleged that the ruling establishment is leading a systematic effort to distort, demean and defame Nehru to demolish his legacy and recast history to suit political goals.

Sonia Gandhi urged citizens to push back against what she described as“deliberate historical misinterpretation and propaganda”, saying the defence of Nehru's legacy is not nostalgia but a reaffirmation of India's constitutional vision, rationality and modern, inclusive character.

The former Congress chief said the shrinking space for tolerance, rising hostility to dissent and the politicisation of history make Nehru's example especially relevant today.

Nehru, she noted, embodied a democratic temperament that embraced disagreement and saw India's diversity as its greatest strength.

Referring to the recently launched digital archive of Nehru's Selected Works by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, Sonia Gandhi said the platform offers open access to 100 published volumes covering his writings from 1903 up to the day before his death, with more documents set to be uploaded.

She praised Sandeep Dikshit for leading the initiative, calling it an important effort to“rescue Nehru from a web of deception” and encourage fact-based public understanding.

Such initiatives, she said, must expand nationwide.

In her address, she recalled Nehru's central role in shaping the modern Indian state and highlighted his belief in parliamentary democracy, secularism, scientific temper and planned economic development.

These principles, she said, continue to guide India even today and remain essential to safeguarding the nation's plural and democratic character.

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