NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Tuesday took a swipe at the recent decision by Pakistan and Israel to nominate U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, calling it a reflection of the increasingly "bizarre" choices seen over the award’s history.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, highlighted the peculiar nature of some past Nobel Peace Prize selections and underscored notable exclusions, particularly those of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
"The Nobel Prize nominations archive is sealed for 50 years, meaning full details of the 2025 nominations will only be available in 2075. However, nominators are free to disclose their choices publicly," Ramesh said.
"In that context, it's telling that the prime ministers of both Pakistan and Israel have openly declared their nominations of Donald Trump for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize," he said.
“In a different era, two towering figures from India were nominated multiple times, Mahatma Gandhi 12 times between 1937 and 1948, and Jawaharlal Nehru 13 times from 1950 to 1961. Interestingly, most of these nominations came from outside India.”
Ramesh questioned the credibility of some past decisions, saying, “Over the past century, some Nobel Peace Prize choices have raised eyebrows, while glaring omissions like that of Gandhi stand out. The 1973 award to Dr. Henry Kissinger remains one of the most controversial.”
The Pakistani government’s endorsement of Trump came as a surprise last month, citing his "self-proclaimed" role in promoting peace during a recent India-Pakistan standoff.
A formal nomination letter, reportedly signed by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, has already been submitted to the Nobel Committee in Norway.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also put forward Trump’s name, crediting him with efforts to broker peace in the Middle East.
(With inputs from PTI)