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Nehru didn’t want Rajendra Prasad as president: book
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, lied to stop Rajendra Prasad from becoming the president after the country’s independence, a new book claims.
The book, written by former intelligence officer R.N.P. Singh, says, “Nehru had resorted to desperate measures to prevent Prasad from occupying the position of president and these measures included blatant lying.”
The book, “Nehru: A Troubled Legacy”, has been published by Wisdom Tree and includes letters written by Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and others.
Singh quotes official records to reveal that on September 10, 1949, Nehru wrote to Rajendra Prasad that he (Nehru) and Sardar Patel had decided that “the safest and best course” would be to have C. Rajagopalachari as the first president of India.
Since this ran contrary to his understanding of the situation, including the opinion of Sardar Patel and most members of the Constituent Assembly, Rajendra Prasad expressed the next day his deep disappointment and hurt at the way Nehru had dealt with him.
Rajendra Prasad marked a copy of this letter to Sardar Patel, who was in Bombay (now Mumbai) that day.
Patel was surprised to learn of the contents of Nehru’s letter because he and Nehru had never discussed whether Rajaji or Rajendra Prasad should be the president. Nor had he and Nehru concurred that Rajaji should be their choice.
“In his reply to Nehru on September 11, Prasad did not mince words. He told Nehru that given his standing in the party, he clearly deserved to be treated better,” says the book.
“When this letter landed on his table, Nehru found that he had hit a dead end. He had been dishonest and he had been caught.
“Anxious to extricate himself from the mess, he chose the only option open to him – to accept his folly.
“He also did not want the situation to get out of hand and, therefore, sat down at midnight to draft his response to Prasad.”
He said he was distressed to read Rajendra Prasad’s letter and said it seemed that he (Prasad) had misjudged him and even Patel.
He then confessed: ‘Vallabhbhai (Patel), in any event, has nothing to do with what I wrote to you. I wrote entirely at my instance without any reference to Vallabhbhai or consultation with him.”
Later, in the same letter, he said: “Vallabhbhai knows nothing about my writing to you…”
The book says: “Nehru realised that this episode had completely exposed him in the eyes of Patel and Prasad. However, in a desperate bid to extricate himself, he wrote to Sardar Patel as well in which he expressed surprise at the tone and content of Prasad’s letter.
“He then cleverly shifted the burden of sorting this mess out on to Sardar Patel.
“He said, ‘It is for you to deal with the situation now’.”
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.