We have grown up reading history books with a selective approach which never touched facts. From the rose on the pocket of Chacha Nehru to the photo session portrait pictures of the first Prime Minister of India, we have been looking at one side of the coin all throughout. The researched other side is here to read. Jawaharlal Nehru is a big name in Indian history for sure, but while the Nehruvians are using all their energy to disregard freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar, they need to learn some real history.
Our dearest neighbour Pakistan launched a tribal militia assault to conquer Kashmir after the partition. Nehru sought the UN, disregarding all local counsel, as the Indian army was on track to drive the Pakistani invaders out of the whole area of Kashmir. As a result, he was able to seize defeat from the mouths of victory. Pakistan still maintains that Kashmir is a disputed region since Nehru made reference to the UN in his remarks. Even now, there has been a lot of killing because of the unresolved situation. Giving the whole thing a benefit of the doubt, we can consider that this was an unaccounted consequence. But there is no way we can deny the damage.
To avert war with China, Nehru turned down proposals from the US and the Soviet Union to take China’s position at the UN Security Council. India’s standing would have improved if it had a permanent UN seat. This is a catastrophic error because it was supplied without any caveats but was rejected. The objective of Nehru to have friendly relations with China has never been realised. In fact, we have been away from our UN presence for a long because of him. According to classified materials, Nehru’s relationship with China was not reciprocated. China used derogatory language against India at the UN and referred to Nehru as a & “lackey” of the British and Americans. In 1962, Nehru misjudged China’s goals and did not anticipate Mao’s invasion of India. Worse, he disregarded the adage that you should hope for the best but prepare for the worst by allowing your incorrect assumption to influence India’s defence readiness. Indian forces lost more than 3,250 lives. In Aksai Chin, India lost over 43,000 square kilometres to China. China is still a significant issue for India. Should this be neglected by the Indians?
While institutions like the IIT and IIM were established during his leadership, Nehru did not prioritise public education and universal literacy. Given the prevalent illiteracy in the country at the time, this is amazing. Upward mobility is frequently hampered by a lack of education on both an economic and social level. This, according to his biographer Judith Brown, was his worst failure. In addition to that, India has always had a free-market system with a focus on commerce and private entrepreneurship. But Nehru is credited with saying that “profit is a dirty word.” Nehru adopted economic principles from the Soviet Union, where enterprises like hotels and manufacturing were run by the government. Taxes were high in order to keep the general populace poor and reliant on the government. The entrepreneurial spirit was
discouraged. These laws encouraged crony capitalism and worsened economic inequality. They were also accountable for infecting the minds of common Indians with the notion that business people lacked moral character. Additionally, it led to the demonization of success and money. Despite economic liberalisation, this way of thinking is still prevalent. Blind followership is when you don’t see progress and vote for stupidity and poverty.
The US actively looked for friends in Asia during the height of the Cold War. India was contacted, but they were denied. Instead, Nehru created an unworkable neutrality policy towards the rival superpowers of the US and USSR. Nehru contributed to the foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961. The US thereafter formed an unholy partnership with Pakistan, which is still in place today. The non-alignment movement was subsequently rendered useless, and India was forced to form an alliance with the USSR, harming US-Indian ties for decades. Another blunder from our own Chacha.
King Bikram Shah of Nepal offered to have Nepal become a province of India, but Nehru turned him down. Nehru’s justification for rejecting Nepal was that it must continue to be an independent country. Nehru also turned down a proposal for Balochistan to join India made by Mir Ahmadyar Khan, the “King” or Khan of Kalat. Yet again, Nehru failed to appreciate the strategic significance of Balochistan, which is still subject to egregious human rights abuses under Pakistan.
In 1964, the US offered to assist India in developing a nuclear weapon, but Nehru declined, possibly because he was a supporter of non-violence. India would have conducted the first nuclear device test in Asia if Nehru had accepted the invitation. It would have prevented China from starting its war in 1962 and even given Pakistan’s plans for war in 1965 a word of warning. Nehru, who was seen as a liberal
democracy, did not always uphold these ideals. Indian citizens were given the right to freedom of speech and expression by the constitution in 1950. While Hindus were being killed in Pakistan, Nehru proposed confidence-building measures, which drew harsh condemnation from the RSS-backed daily The Organiser. According to the essay, “Our idiocy is matched only by the villainy of Pakistan.” To stifle voices like Organiser that were critical of the government, a furious and outraged Nehru oversaw the first amendment to the Constitution. The change he made was never undone and was abused by succeeding governments, which led to him also curbing freedom of expression. The “Vimochana Samaram” ; (liberation struggle) against Kerala's first elected state government, headed by EMS Namboodiripad, which took office in 1957, was organised by the INC in collaboration with a number of reactionary organisations. Mass protests that were not at all spontaneous and demanded the resignation of the communist cabinet eventually shook Kerala. In 1959, after the demonstration had reached its height, the Centre removed Kerala’s administration. It is said that at the time, fiercely anti-communist US intelligence actively supported the Congress party’s plan to topple the Kerala government. Despite his claims to be a liberal democrat, Nehru saw no foolishness in collaborating with foreign governments to subvert India’s democratic process.
Nehru frequently ignored corruption when those responsible were his loyalists. Known to be close to Nehru, Krishna Menon took part in the infamous Jeep Scam in 1948. A few years later, Nehru’s son-in-law and Congress MP Feroze Gandhi brought up the LIC- Mundhra Scam in parliament. The Cycle Import Scam was the last scam.
Nehru asked Portugal to quietly secede from the state of Goa after India gained independence in 1947, but Portugal evidently refused. As he always did, Nehru then made an identical appeal to the UN, but the Portuguese once more turned it down. Finally, in 1961, the Portuguese fired on Indian fishing boats, killing one fisherman, and leading to the Indian army seizing control of Goa. After being attacked by air, sea, and land for 36 hours, the Portuguese gave India control of Goa. This step needed to be taken much earlier. Thus, the Goans had to wait 14 years for their freedom as a result of Nehru & his indecision.
Judith Brown, Nehru’s biographer, stated that after serving as PM for ten years, he should have stepped down from office in the 1950s. But Nehru lasted for far too long, much to the cost of the country, much like many politicians who are unaware that they have outlived their usefulness. The Sino-Indian War might have ended differently if a shrewd younger leader had been able to deal with China more forcefully. Nehru made a number of clear proposals that he foolishly declined, including a permanent UN seat, US nuclear assistance, and invitations from Nepal and Baluchistan to join India. For ordinary Indians, his failure to promote economic and educational empowerment acted as a barrier to upward mobility.
His propensity to hesitate and mention the UN has delayed Goan independence and cost Kashmir dearly. He disregarded crime. Additionally, he was vehemently anti- democratic whenever he encountered election failure or criticism. He has made several mistakes, and the country is still suffering as a result. But what we do is close our eyes to reality and depend on social media and what’s app for all knowledge. No person is completely good or totally bad. But while you sing 100 songs of glory, don’t forget the 1000 mistakes of any leader. The world is at a stage where only reality can save you. Read research, know facts
and only talk on a subject when you have documented proofs about them with authenticated facts. Next time you celebrate Chacha Nehru’s birthday with a rose on your shirt, don’t forget to remind yourself of the reality of the guns that are pinned behind that rose. Know the two sides of your Chacha, one from the textbooks and one from the documented factual research papers.