Neeraj Shekhar, BJP MP and son of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, said on Thursday that he was "overcome by a sense of pride and emotion" during his visit to Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya on its inauguration and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "a true statesman above party lines" who thinks about the bigger picture.
Neeraj Shekhar also took a dig at Congress governments, saying that "PM meant only PMs of one dynasty". He said the PM Museum "recognises the contribution of each and every PM in equal measure".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Pradhanmantri Sanghralaya in New Delhi today.
Neeraj Shekhar also reminisced about his father's meetings with PM Modi during his earlier days as a political leader. Referring to PM Modi's work as chief minister of Gujarat, Neeraj Shekhar said, "My father was impressed by his sincerity and tenacity".
Chandra Shekhar was India's Prime Minister from November 1990 to June 1991.
The BJP MP, who made a series of tweets, said his father shared a close bond with PM Modi though they belonged to different generations and different political parties.
"PM Narendra Modi and Chandrashekhar...different generations, different political parties yet a very close bond. This is exactly what democracy is about. My father knew PM Modi for many years and was always appreciative of his developmental work and eye for detail."
He said the two leaders met for the first time after Emergency.
"The first time my father, former PM Chandrashekhar and Narendra Modi ji met was after the Emergency. Modi ji was still learning the ropes of politics and political movements. He had been assigned a duty to be with my father in Gujarat," Neeraj Shekhar said.
"In the mid-2000s, when my father was not in the best health and was out of active politics, he expressed a desire to meet Chief Minister (then) Narendra Modi. Very promptly, CM Modi said he will come to meet my father in Delhi and on his very next visit he came to meet my father."
"During their meeting, my father and PM @narendramodi spoke about the anti-Emergency movement, the direction of Indian politics in the 1980's, 1990's and also about the work he was doing in Gujarat as CM. My father was impressed by his sincerity and tenacity," the MP said.
Neeraj Shekhar attended the inauguration event with his family.
"Some years ago, PM Narendra Modi was kind enough to release a book on my father. Today, when my family and I went to PM Museum we were overcome by a sense of pride and emotion. At least there is some leader who thinks about the bigger picture, a true statesman above party lines," he said.
"As the son of my father, as a Member of Parliament and as an observer of politics, I am glad that we have a museum that recognises the contribution of each and every PM in equal measure. Because each of them faced challenges and rose to meet them to the best of their abilities," he added.
The Prime Minister, in his speech, had said that all the former Prime Ministers of the country had a role to play in the building of the nation.
Neeraj Shekhar hoped that the museum begin a new culture of statesmanship
"Wherever he is, my father would be blessing PM Narendra Modi. So would all other Prime Ministers. Let this museum begin a new culture of statesmanship," he said in a tweet.
Neeraj Shekhar was earlier with the Samajwadi party. He resigned as Rajya Sabha member in 2019 and joined the BJP. He is into his third term as Rajya Sabha MP.
( With inputs from ANI )
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