No seat for Modi at Congress' Nehru's anniversary event

The Congress has drawn up mega plans to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru but decided against inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be part of it.

Representatives from 55 countries are scheduled to participate in a two-day international conference beginning Monday to commemorate Nehru’s legacy and world view.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi would chair the two-day conference which would be attended by former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, former Ghana president John Kufuor, former Nepal prime minister Madhav Nepal, and former Secretary General of the Arab League Amre Moussa.

Activists from Pakistan Asma Jahangir and Najam Sethi would also attend the conference. “We have not given any invitation to the Prime Minister. We have invited all those who truly believe in democracy and the ideals of Nehru,” said senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, who is the convenor of the Organising Committee of the conference.

The Congress party is already riled at Modi for “appropriating” party icons such as Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. “This (NDA) government, beginning from the Prime Minister, is trying to usurp our leaders without subscribing to their ideals,” a visibly irritated Sharma said when persisted with questions on invitation to Modi.  “There is much more to Gandhi and Nehru beyond cleanliness,” a Congress leader said.