New Delhi: A fresh political controversy has erupted on social media after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shared a series of old photographs involving former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, following Rahul Gandhi’s recent criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign-policy style.
Dubey shared the photographs on social media amid a political exchange over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about the Prime Minister’s interactions with foreign leaders. The BJP MP posted pictures from a book on the Nehru-Gandhi family, featuring Nehru with members of his family and other prominent personalities.
Why Did Nishikant Dubey Share the Nehru Photos?
The controversy followed remarks by Rahul Gandhi at a recent Congress event, where he questioned the emphasis on hugging foreign leaders as a component of diplomacy.
While making his point, Gandhi hugged Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on stage. Dikshit jokingly asked whether Gandhi had mistaken him for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, adding a lighter moment to the political exchange.
Dubey subsequently responded on social media by sharing old photographs connected to the Nehru-Gandhi family. His posts included photographs of Jawaharlal Nehru with Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Nayantara Sahgal and former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
The images quickly circulated online, with some social-media users presenting them as examples of Nehru himself engaging in public displays of affection.
Congress Accuses BJP MP of Taking Photos Out of Context
Congress leaders strongly objected to the manner in which the photographs were presented.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said that the photographs had been circulated without adequate context. She identified one image as showing Nehru receiving a kiss on the cheek from his sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and another involving his niece Nayantara Sahgal.
Shrinate also pointed to a photograph from March 1962 involving Nehru and Jacqueline Kennedy during Holi, arguing that the images should be viewed in their historical context rather than presented as evidence of anything improper.
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi similarly accused the BJP of selectively using old photographs to create a political narrative around the Nehru-Gandhi family.
The Dispute Goes Beyond Nehru
The latest exchange is part of a broader political battle between the BJP and Congress over Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Modi’s foreign-policy engagements.
Before posting the Nehru photographs, Dubey had also shared photographs involving former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and international leaders, including Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat. He also circulated an older photograph of Rahul Gandhi hugging Prime Minister Modi in Parliament.
The BJP MP’s posts were intended to challenge the Congress leader’s criticism of Modi’s public interactions, while Congress leaders argued that historical photographs were being selectively interpreted for political purposes.
Historical Photographs Become Political Ammunition
The controversy highlights how photographs from India’s political history can quickly become part of contemporary political battles.
Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, served from independence in 1947 until his death in 1964 and remains one of the most politically debated figures in modern Indian history.
Rather than remaining historical records, photographs involving Nehru, Indira Gandhi and other members of the Nehru-Gandhi family are frequently brought into present-day political arguments involving the Congress and BJP.
In the latest episode, the dispute began with Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about diplomatic “hug” politics but soon expanded into a wider argument involving Nehru-era photographs, historical context and the political legacy of the Congress’s first family.
Political Row Likely to Continue
The exchange between Dubey and Congress leaders demonstrates how quickly political debates can move from contemporary policy issues to historical personalities.
While BJP supporters have used the photographs to challenge Gandhi’s criticism of Modi, Congress leaders have maintained that the images are being stripped of their original context.
With both parties continuing to trade accusations on social media, the Nehru photographs have now become the latest flashpoint in an increasingly personal political confrontation between the BJP and Congress.
