Historian Ramachandra Guha and Foreign Minister Subramanian Jaishankar locked horns on Twitter over the controversial claim that Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India's first prime minister, had initially excluded Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from his Cabinet.
Jaishankar, on February 12, tweeted that he learned about this claim at the launch of Narayani Basu’s book ‘The Unsung Architect of Modern India’.
Released an absorbing biography of VP Menon by @narayani_basu. Sharp contrast between Patel's Menon and Nehru's Menon. Much awaited justice done to a truly historical figure. pic.twitter.com/SrCBMtuEMx— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 12, 2020
Learnt from the book that Nehru did not want Patel in the Cabinet in 1947 and omitted him from the initial Cabinet list. Clearly, a subject for much debate. Noted that the author stood her ground on this revelation. pic.twitter.com/FelAMUZxFL— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 12, 2020
This is a myth, that has been comprehensively demolished by Professor Srinath Raghavan in The Print.
Besides, promoting fake news about, and false rivalries between, the builders of modern India is not the job of the Foreign Minister. He should leave this to the BJP’s IT Cell. https://t.co/krAVzmaFkL— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) February 13, 2020
Some Foreign Ministers do read books. May be a good habit for some Professors too. In that case, strongly recommend the one I released yesterday. https://t.co/d2Iq4jafsR— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 13, 2020
The letter of 1 August where Nehru invites Patel to join the first Cabinet of free India, calling him the “strongest pillar” of that Cabinet. Can someone show this to @DrSJaishankar please? pic.twitter.com/N6m1mOr7SF— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) February 13, 2020
Discover the latest business news, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!