 "NMML renamed Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, Nehru dropped")
The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society housed in Teen Murti Bhavan premises here has been renamed as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, prompting sharp reactions from the Congress.
Teen Murti Bhavan served as the official residence of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
In a special meeting of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMML), it was resolved to change its name, the Culture Ministry said on Friday.
The meeting was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is the vice president of the Society, it said.
In his address at the meeting, Singh "welcomed the proposal for change in name", since in its new form the institution exhibits the contributions of all prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi and their responses to various challenges faced by them, the statement said.
Describing prime ministers as an institution and comparing the journey of various prime ministers to the varied colours of a rainbow, Singh emphasised that "all the colours of a rainbow have to be proportionately represented in order to make it beautiful".
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"Thus the resolution has given a new name, respect to all our previous prime ministers and is democratic in content," it said.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh slammed the move to rename NMML.
"Pettiness & Vengeance, thy name is Modi. For over 59 years Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) has been a global intellectual lamdmark and treasure house of books & archives. It will henceforth be called Prime Ministers Museum & Society. What won't Mr. Modi do to distort, disparage and destroy the name & legacy of the architect of the Indian nation-state. A small, small man overburdened by his insecurities is the self-styled Vishwaguru," he tweeted.