Tea seller could become the Prime Minister of India as…: Shashi Tharoor on Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy

Paying a tribute to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 60th death anniversary, Congress MP Shahi Tharoor said, “We should not forget Jawaharlal Nehru's legacy.”

“A tea seller (referring to PM Modi) could have become the Prime Minister because of the democratic institutions and values laid down by our first Prime Minister over 17 years.”

The Congress on Monday paid rich tributes to Nehru with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying the country's history is incomplete without the incomparable contribution of "the architect of modern India".

Kharge and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also paid floral tributes to the former prime minister at his memorial 'Shantivan' here.

In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said the history of India is incomplete without the incomparable contribution of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India, who took India forward in scientific, economic, industrial and various fields.

Nehru was a dedicated guardian of democracy and our source of inspiration, he said.

"Our humble tribute to "Hind ke Jawahar" on his death anniversary," Kharge said.

The Congress president quoted Nehru as saying that the protection of the country, progress of the country, and unity of the country is the national religion of all of us.

"We may follow different religions, live in different states, speak different languages, but that should not create any wall between us. All people should get equal opportunity in progress. We do not want some people in our country to be very rich and most of the people to be poor," Nehru was quoted as saying.

Even today, the Congress party is following the same path of "justice," Kharge said.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also paid tributes to his great grandfather.

"Respectful tributes to the architect of modern India and the first Prime Minister of the country, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary.As a visionary, he dedicated his entire life to building India through the freedom movement, establishing democracy, secularism and laying the foundation of the Constitution. His values will always guide us," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh paid rich tributes to Nehru on his 60th death anniversary.

India's first and longest-serving prime minister, Nehru, died in office in 1964.