Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to Republic of Austria saying that he was suffering from “Nehruphobia,” and suggested that the Prime Minister would benefit from recalling Jawaharlal Nehru’s significant contributions to Austria’s independence.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ramesh, who is Congress general secretary and communications incharge said, “Today the non-biological Prime Minister is in Austria. The Republic of Austria was established fully only on October 26th 1955, which is celebrated as its National Day. One person who was critical to this becoming a reality was none other than the man Modi loves to hate and defame.”
He said that Dr. Hans Kochler, a noted Austrian academic, has written about the key role Jawaharlal Nehru played in the early fifties in the emergence of a sovereign and neutral Austria after a decade of occupation by the victorious World War II powers.
“One of Nehru’s most ardent global admirers was the legendary Dr. Bruno Kreisky, who was Chancellor of Austria during 1970-83. In 1989, Dr. Kreisky recalled Nehru thus: ‘When the history of this century is written, and that of the men who have put their stamp on it one of the greatest and finest chapters will be the story of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
It will be a part of India’s most modern history……. Very early Nehru had become one of my instructors…’,” the Congress leader said recalling the contributions of India’s first Prime Minister.
He also shared the link and said, “Here is Dr. Kochler’s retrospective for those interested in our diplomatic history – linktr.ee/jairam_ramesh”
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Ramesh said, “Those suffering from Nehruphobia – like our non-biological Prime Minister and, especially since 2019, our erudite and dapper External Affairs Minister – will also do well to recall it.”
His remarks came ahead of Modi’s visit to Austria on July 9-10, marking the first Indian prime ministerial visit to the country in 41 years since Indira Gandhi’s visit in 1983.
This visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of India and Austria’s diplomatic relations, which began in 1949, with Jawaharlal Nehru making the inaugural visit in 1955.
