Govt draws up plans to celebrate Motilal Nehru's 150th anniv

New Delhi: A new biography, seminars and conferences to bring out the liberal ideology and politics of Motilal Nehru are part of government’s plans to commemorate the Congress leader’s sesquicentennial birth anniversary. These suggestions were made at the first meeting of the National Committee to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Motilal Nehru chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today. [caption id=“attachment_337294” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Courtesy: Wikipedia”]  [/caption] Members suggested paying tribute to Nehru by organising seminars and conferences, popularising his contribution to politics through a new biography, books and publications, and establishing chairs in his name in educational institutions. They also suggested release of commemorative coins and stamps and launching of a website dedicated to the history of India’s freedom struggle. “The government of India through the Culture Ministry will provide all support to these events,” Singh said addressing the meeting. The Prime Minister hoped that by the end of the year, the government would be able to highlight the many facets and contributions of Motilal Nehru as a legislator, philanthropist and a political thinker. Singh directed that a National Implementation Committee be set up to consider all of them and chalk out programmes and activities to be undertaken during the commemorative period. Born on May 6, 1861, Motilal Nehru was a lawyer, an active participant in the freedom struggle and a key leader of Indian National Congress. He had also served as Congress President twice — 1919–1920 and 1928–1929. Nehru, in association with C R Das and other nationalist leaders, formed the Swaraj Party to give a new direction to the freedom struggle after the non-cooperation movement ended. PTI