False propaganda
Congress mouthpiece National Herald Editorial Advisor Mrinal Pande shared a post on Twitter with a hashtag #Yeh MeraIdeaTha. The post contained claims of various achievements of First PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru. Generally, the Congress people address him as 'Architect of Modern India'. The tweet claimed Pandit Nehru built ISRO in 1962 and 1964. It seems Pande posted the WhatsApp message without verification because same to same post has been on circulation in WhatsApp for 6-7 years without any authentication of the source. Mrinal Pande's post said ISRO was founded by Pandit Nehru twice, in 1962 and 1964, the year he died. However, the ISRO was actually founded in 1969, five years after Nehruji passed away. Actually, in 1962, Government of India had set up Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) under the department of Atomic Energy of Government of India. The credit for INCOSPAR largely goes to eminent scientist Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the India Space Program. Space research was started by Dr Sarabhai in 1947 when he founded Physical Research Laboratory (PRL). The laboratory was baked then by Karmkshetra Educational Society and the Ahmedabad Education Society. In later years, research in Theoretical Physics and Radio Physics were added with grants from Atomic Energy Commission.
Similar claims of Nehru having founded ISRO have been through the years by Congress workers, supporters and pseudo-Nehru-Gandhi loyalists. In case of supporters who spread false propaganda we can excuse them as their occupational compulsion. All the parties, including BJP a have IT cells which spread false propagandas on social media in their favour. That is why it is often repeated in various forums not to spread any messages on social media without verifying. But in case of Mrinal Pande, it was not accepted. Whom many consider as learned lady other than being a loyalist of from Pandit Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi to Sonia Gandhi. Under Congress government in 2006, she was conferred with Padma Shri and in 2010 she was made the chairperson of Prasar Bharati. Now, she is associated with National Herald.
Julie Bhuyan,
Gaurisagar.