World leaders in Delhi to take part in meet on Nehru

Conference to highlight vision of first PM

Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, Queen of Bhutan Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk and veteran freedom fighter from South Africa, Ahmed Khathrada, were among eminent world leaders who arrived in the national capital on Sunday.

They are here to participate in an international conference, organised by the Congress party to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma also received former Ghana president John Kufuor, former Nigeria president Olusegun Mathew Obasanjo and Palestine’s chief negotiator and cabinet minister Nabil Sha’ath as they arrived here to take part in the two-day conference, beginning Monday.

The conference will highlight values and vision of India’s first prime minister, with the Congress going all out to protect the legacy of Nehru sensing threats from the Modi government. The party has been accusing Modi of appropriating the legacy of freedom movement leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel and making efforts to destroy Nehru’s secular vision.

Neither Modi nor any other leader from his party or allies has been invited to the Conference to be chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The world leaders and dignitaries will deliberate on the topics—Nehru’s world view and a democratic international order for the 21st Century as well as inclusive democracy and people’s empowerment at the conference. The conference, to be attended by leadership delegations from 11 political parties across the globe, will also witness leaders from various Indian political parties, “who believe in the idea of India as espoused by Nehru”.

The Congress has invited leaders of the parties which included all Left parties, Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal-Secular, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had last week formally invited Sharad Pawar but the Nationalist Congress Party chief expressed his inability to attend the event due to a two-day convention being organised by the Maharashtra unit of his party at Alibaug.
The British Labour party has given its consent to participate in the event. The number of its delegates could cross 80.