2012 - 150th Birth Anniversary of Pandit Motilal Nehru - Proof Set

This post gives the details of Proof Set. For UNC Set please refer to the next post

25-September-2012:
Coins to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Pandit Motilal Nehru were held.

At a function held in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Full Report here

Release Function:
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee releasing a special coin at the Commemoration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Shri Motilal Nehru, in New Delhi on September 25, 2012. The Defence Minister, Shri A. K. Antony, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development and Communications and Information Technology, Shri Kapil Sibal, the Union Finance Minister, Shri P. Chidambaram, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Culture, Kumari Selja and the Chairperson, National Advisory Council, Smt. Sonia Gandhi are also seen.






Motilal Nehru (6 May 1861 – 6 February 1931) was an Indian lawyer, an activist of the Indian National Movement and an important leader of the Indian National Congress, who also served as the Congress President twice, 1919–1920 and 1928–1929. He was the founder patriarch of India's most powerful political family, theNehru-Gandhi family.

He was the only front rank leader to lend his support to non-cooperation at the special Congress at Calcutta in September 1920.The Calcutta Congress (December 1928) over which Motilal presided was the scene of a head-on clash between those who were prepared to accept Dominion Status and those who would have nothing short of complete independence. A split was averted by a via media proposed by Gandhiji, according to which if Britain did not concede Dominion Status within a year, the Congress was to demand complete independence and to fight for it, if necessary, by launching civil disobedience. He was arrested during the Non-Cooperation Movement. Although initially close to Gandhi, he openly criticized Gandhi's suspension of civil resistance in 1922 due to the murder of policemen by a riotous mob in Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh. Motilal joined the Swaraj Party, which sought to enter the British-sponsored councils.

The entry of Motilal's glamorous, highly-educated son Jawaharlal Nehru into politics in 1916, started the most powerful and influential Indian political dynasty. When in 1929, Motilal Nehru handed over the Congress presidency to Jawaharlal (Jawaharlal was not elected but had Gandhi's backing), it greatly pleased Motilal and Nehru family admirers to see the son take over from his father. Jawaharlal had opposed his father's preference for dominion status, and had not left the Congress Party when Motilal helped found the Swaraj Party.

Motilal Nehru's age and declining health kept him out of the historic events of 1929-1931, when the Congress adopted complete independence as its goal and when Gandhi launched the Salt Satyagraha.

Motilal had the satisfaction of having his son and Gandhiji beside him in his last days. On February 6, 1931 he died.

Motilal Nehru is largely remembered for being the patriarch of India's most powerful political dynasty which has since produced three Prime Ministers.



Proof Set: Coins of Rs 5 and Rs 150