Overview
- The BJP published 17 letters by Jawaharlal Nehru related to Somnath, highlighting an April 21, 1951 note to Pakistan’s Liaquat Ali Khan in which Nehru called the temple gates story “completely false.”
- Congress called the attack “lies and half-truths,” arguing the party cherry‑picked lines and stressing that Nehru objected to official involvement or public funds, not personal attendance at the 1951 consecration.
- BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Nehru of “hatred” for Somnath and “blind appeasement,” a charge Congress rejected as selective and out of context.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the start of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, shared archival photos, and is slated to visit the temple on January 11 for events running January 8–11.
- The observance marks 1,000 years since the first recorded attack on Somnath and the 75th year since its 1951 reconsecration after a reconstruction led by Sardar Patel and K. M. Munshi through public donations.