Jawaharlal Nehru’s Wikipedia page edited from a govt IP address; Congress seeks PM Modi’s reply

The woes of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government are far from being over with the Congress now alleging that Wikipedia pages on former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his father Motilal Nehru have been altered.The Congress claims that the editing was done from an IP (Internet Protocol) address belonging to the government-owned National Informatics Centre (NIC).

Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply in this regard.

“There was an attempt to alter the Wikipedia pages of first prime minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, former president of Indian National Congress and his father Pandit Motilal Nehru and his father Pandit Gangadhar Nehru…What makes the case even worse that this was done from a government ID. What is even more intriguing and sinister is the fact that this attempt was done not only from a government ID and Internet Protocol with government address but was done from NIC, the National Informatics Centre or the software solution provider of Government of India,” said Surjewala.

“Indian National Congress demands that on one hand Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is launching digital India, on the other hand agency responsible for digital India is altering the lineage of the first prime minister of India, former Congress presidents and their ancestors. Will Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi answer to the nation how was Internet Protocol ID of Government of India and NIC was being used for this sinister malicious attempt. Will Prime Minister and the minister in-charge answer whether such a sinister attempt was being made with their consent and concurrence,” he added.

The BJP is already grappling with controversies over involvement of its ministers in helping former IPL chief Lalit Modi and emergence of Pankaja Munde’s name in chikki scam.

As per @AnonGoIWPEdits, the Twitter handle of a software that tracks anonymous Wikipedia edits, the edits made on June 26 said Nehru’s grandfather Gangadhar Nehru was a Muslim.

These edits, which were later deleted by volunteer Wikipedia editors, had said: “Gangadhar was born as a Muslim by the name of Ghiasuddin Ghazi but changed his name to a Hindu Ganga Dhar to escape British clutches.”

Details of Jawaharlal Nehru’s “affair” with Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of India’s first governor general, Lord Mountbatten, were also added on his Wikipedia page.

Wikipedia page on Sanjay Gandhi was also altered on the same day.