Congress to highlight Nehru's legacy

The Congress party is gearing up to highlight the legacy of the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru after the Modi government gave a cold shoulder to its pantheon of leaders.

The Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, a Congress think tank, will host Marxist historian such as Irfan Habib and Romila Thapar and other Left liberals to debate on the theme – “No Peace Without Freedom; No Freedom without Peace: Securing Nehru’s Legacy and India’s Future: Agenda for Action”.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the two-day conference on Friday while party vice president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to deliver the valedictory address on Saturday.

“The goal of the conference is to develop an agenda for action for strengthening the cornerstone values of the India Republic laid down by Nehru in his Objectives Resolution of the Constituent Assembly,” RGICS said in a statement.

“The conference convenes at a time regressive forces have launched an unprecedented attack on the liberal, progressive and democratic idea of India, as well as on unity and social harmony,” it said.

Besides Thapar and Habib, who are key voices in the protest against “growing intolerance” in country, the conference will see participation from Mukul Kesavan, Shashi Tharoor, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Teesta Setalvad.