Cong slams Amit Shah’s ‘Vote Chori’ charge, cites Rajmohan Gandhi to set record straight

The Congress party on Friday dismissed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that Jawaharlal Nehru became India’s first Prime Minister through “vote chori,” terming it a “blatant lie.” The party cited eminent historian and former MP Rajmohan Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, to rebut the allegations.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, shared a video clip of Rajmohan Gandhi on X, in which the historian clarified that the Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) had proposed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for the Congress presidency in 1946, and that Nehru’s selection as Congress president and later as Prime Minister was widely supported.

Ramesh said, “The eminent historian-author and ex-MP Rajmohan Gandhi exposes one blatant lie told by the Union Home Minister in the Lok Sabha.”

In the clip, Rajmohan Gandhi explained that during 1945–46, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad continued as Congress president following the Quit India movement, and the question of prime ministership had not arisen.

He noted that when the PCCs proposed Patel and Acharya Kriplani for the presidency, neither Patel nor Kriplani intended to become Prime Minister, and all proposals were submitted to Mahatma Gandhi, who guided the decision-making process.

“People were very happy with Nehru becoming Prime Minister, and Sardar Patel himself supported it,” Rajmohan Gandhi said. He added that Patel had praised Nehru’s elevation in a speech in Indore in October 1950, two months before his death, calling it beneficial for the country.

The historian emphasised that there was no record of dissent among Congress leaders or the public regarding Nehru’s appointment as Prime Minister, and that the selection followed the established practices of the party at the time.

The Congress party had earlier rejected Shah’s assertions during a debate on election reforms in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Shah had claimed that Nehru became Prime Minister despite most votes favouring Patel, prompting outrage from opposition benches.

Congress leaders reiterated that the allegation of “vote chori” is a “lie” and a “figment of imagination,” underscoring that Nehru’s leadership enjoyed broad support from both the party and the public.

This exchange has reignited historical debates over the Congress party’s early leadership and the role of its founding figures in shaping India’s post-independence government.

With PTI inputs