A day after Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong praised Jawaharlal Nehru as a man of great courage and outstanding ability, India on Thursday is learnt to have summoned the city-state’s high commissioner, purportedly to convey New Delhi’s displeasure over the Premier’s remarks on the criminal records of Indian MPs in the same speech.
There was no official word on the summoning. But a source said: “The remarks by the Prime Minister of Singapore were uncalled for. We are taking up the matter with the Singaporean side.”
Asked which remarks in particular were “uncalled for’’, the source said: “He talked about criminal records of Indian MPs in Parliament.”
While referring to the criminal records of Indian MPs, Lee attributed the reference to media reports and said that many of these allegations were politically motivated.
What was damaging from the point of view of the Modi government’s politics was Lee’s praise for India’s first Prime Minister, Nehru, in the 40-minute speech to Singapore Parliament’s Committee of Privileges on Wednesday.
Dwelling on democracy, Lee said: “Most countries are founded and start off on the basis of high ideals and noble values. But more often than not, beyond the founding leaders and the pioneer generation, over decades and generations, gradually things change. Things start off with passionate intensity.”
Jawaharlal Nehru. File photo
Lee added: “The leaders, who fought for and won independence, are often exceptional individuals of great courage, immense culture and outstanding ability.
“They came through the crucible of fire and emerged as leaders of men and nations. They are the David Ben-Gurions (the first Prime Minister of Israel), the Jawaharlal Nehrus, and we have our own too. Imbued with enormous personal prestige, they strive to meet the high expectations of their peoples to build a brave new world and shape a new future for their peoples and for their countries.’’
It is what he said subsequently that provided the government the excuse to summon the high commissioner over a speech that the Modi dispensation — which showers swipes galore on Nehru — would have found most discomfiting.
“While Nehru’s India has become one where, according to media reports, almost half the MPs in the Lok Sabha have criminal charges pending against them, including charges of rape and murder. Though it is also said that many of these allegations are politically motivated,” Lee said.
Lee’s praise of Nehru was shared extensively by Congress leaders across social media platforms. “Singapore PM invokes Nehru to argue how democracy should work during a parliamentary debate whereas our PM denigrates Nehru all the time inside and outside Parliament,’’ noted Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh, sharing a clip of the relevant portion of the speech.
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted: “I can imagine the MEA being outraged over Singapore PM recalling Nehru’s idea of India in his speech, so much so that the High Commissioner was summoned. It must hurt GoI’s narrative of denigrating India’s first PM at every given instance. Want the world to forget, but, difficult.”
