Dakshinayan Abhiyaan cautions Kovind over possible maligning of Nehru at Goa event

Claiming that top BJP leaders were slandering the image of India's first Prime Minister late Jawaharlal Nehru, the Dakshinayan Abhiyaan in Goa, in a letter to President of India Ramnath Kovind has expressed anxiety that the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the state's Liberation could be used to further tarnish Nehru with misinformation.

In the letter to Kovind, who is the main invitee for a state government event on December 19, to launch the year-long celebration of Goa's Liberation from Portuguese yoke, the Abhiyaan's state president Damodar Mauzo has also said that Nehru did not intentionally delay the Liberation of Goa in 1961 and the main goal was to avoid bloodshed and violence in the quest for wresting Goa from the colonial power.

"Goans will be deeply hurt if the yearlong celebrations are marked by such unfair and twisted political statements that can damage the image of our beloved Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru," the Dakshinayan Abhiyaan president said in his letter to the President of India.

"The young independent India that believed in Gandhian approach played its cards very wisely and resultantly, through Operation Vijay, Goa was liberated. The peace-loving people of Goa are ever grateful to then prime minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru whose cautious efforts led to liberate Goa without bloodshed," the letter authored by Mauzo, a Sahitya Akademi award-winning writer said.

Dakshinayan Abhiyan is an organisation started by academic scholars, artists, writers, progressive-minded intellectuals, and social activists under the leadership of Dr. Ganesh Devy with the objective of promoting progressive ideas and human values among citizens in general and youth in particular.

The letter also mentions top BJP leaders including Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Goa CM Pramod Sawant for making misinformed comments on Nehru, blaming the latter for delaying Goa's Liberation.

"Dakshinayan Abhiyan Goa, with a heavy heart, would like to bring to your notice the spiteful and foul misinformation being spread indiscreetly and injudiciously that the Liberation of Goa was delayed because of the then Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Earlier, the Union Minister, Prakash Javadekar, and the CM of MP, Shivraj Singh Chouhan have gone on record and later we heard the Chief Minister of Goa repeating the same imprudently," the letter said.