'Nehru opposed Somnath temple reconstruction, tried to belittle its inauguration', BJP MP shares letters penned by first PM

New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday reignited the political and historical debate on the Somnath temple, by sharing a series of posts on X, alleging that India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru not only opposed the reconstruction of centuries old temple but also tried to trivialize its inauguration by discouraging distinguished citizens including the then President from attending its inauguration ceremony.

Sudhanshu Trivedi shared a series of letters, penned by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru to a host of Indian Ambassadors including the envoys in China and Pakistan, purportedly instructing them that the water from Indus River not be allowed for the temple's consecration ceremony, to give an impression that the Indian government was not involved in the ceremony.

In a post on X, Trivedi claimed that Nehru went beyond maintaining neutrality and took “deliberate steps” to reduce the significance of the Somnath Temple consecration ceremony.

Citing letters written by Nehru, Trivedi wrote, “Pandit Nehru wrote letters to Indian embassies explicitly prohibiting them from providing any assistance to the Somnath Trust, including requests for water from rivers for the consecration ceremony.”

He further alleged that Nehru sought to downplay the President’s participation in the event. Referring to a letter addressed to K.M. Panikkar, India’s Ambassador to China, Trivedi stated, “Pandit Nehru openly admitted that he had tried to ‘minimize the impact’ of the President’s visit to the Somnath Temple.”

According to Trivedi, Nehru also intervened diplomatically to prevent the use of water from the Indus River for the consecration ceremony.

“In a letter to India’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Pandit Nehru stated that the use of water from the Indus River for the consecration at the Somnath Temple had been formally rejected,” Trivedi stated, sharing a letter issued by the then High Commission of India to Pakistan, signed by Khub Chand, to support his claim.

In another post on X, Trivedi alleged that Nehru opposed the reconstruction of the temple altogether.

He wrote, “Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru did not even want the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple to take place.” He further claimed that Nehru wrote to President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Vice President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and all Indian Chief Ministers, expressing concern that the reconstruction had “damaged India’s image abroad.”

He also cited a letter written to then Information and Broadcasting Minister R.R. Diwakar, alleging that Nehru sought 'reduced' media coverage of the consecration, calling the ceremony “ostentatious.”

In a separate post, Trivedi claimed that Pt Nehru resorted to appeasement in foreign policy, referencing a letter dated April 21, 1951, addressed to Pakistan Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan.

Quoting the letter, Trivedi highlighted Nehru’s statement: “The story of the gates of Somnath temple being brought back to India from Afghanistan is completely false and there is not an atom of truth in it.”

The RS MP concluded with a sharp remark, stating, “If this wasn’t the politics of blind appeasement and the glorification of Mughal invaders, then what was it?”

The posts have triggered renewed political debate over Nehru’s secular vision, state involvement in religious affairs, and the historical interpretation of Somnath Temple’s reconstruction in post-Independence India.