'Nehru did not want Patel in cabinet'; Guha, Jairam rebut

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar triggered a Twitter storm on Thursday with his statement that he learnt from VP Menon's autobiography that the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru did not want Vallabhbhai Patel in his Cabinet in 1947.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and noted historian Ramchandra Guha took umbrage at the claim and tweeted out screenshots of letters by Nehru written in 1947, in which Patel was on top of the new Cabinet list and was also referred to as "the strongest pillar of the Cabinet."

Jaishankar, in a tweet had stated, "Learnt from the book that Nehru did not want Patel in the Cabinet in 1947 and omitted him from the initial Cabinet list. Clearly, a subject for much debate. Noted that the author stood her ground on this revelation."

Jaishankar was referring to a new book by historian and analyst Narayani Basu, 'V.P. Menon: The Unsung Architect of Modern India'. The external affairs minister was invited for the launch of this book.