Nehru’s vision prevailed in spite of the ordeal

As the first Prime Minister of independent India, Nehru’s responsibilities were manifold. Apart from dealing with communal violence, there were over 550 princely states which were bargaining with the Indian state. From the integration of the country to meeting the everyday needs of the common man, the situation seemed impossible. But Nehru managed to revive all hopes. The growth rate increased from 0.72% to 3.6% in five years. Soon, princely states became a thing of the past; The dream of One India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari finally took a permanent shape.

Nehru knew that in order to get India its rightful place in the changing world, it would have to adopt a scientific approach. When there weren’t even enough trains and roads, he laid the foundation for space and nuclear institutions. Top class educational institutions like IITs and AIIMS were established. All this was achieved in a country where the literacy rate on the eve of independence was only 12%. Nehru had a habit of dreaming big.

That is why he envisioned the dream of the Non-Aligned Movement, along with leaders such as Marshal Tito and Jamal Abdel Nasser. He founded an organization that was not fundamentally communist like the Soviet Union, but also avoided assimilation into American capitalism. These countries were not poor but called themselves third world. With this, India was able to achieve a different position for itself. Nehru was among the leaders of countries that had recently gained independence and was popular across geographical boundaries. Did it make him a victim of overconfidence? Was this the reason he believed in the slogan ‘Hindi-Chinese brother-brother’, The 1962 debacle was the culmination of that dreamlike belief.

In J&K also he failed to assess the situation properly. It was a mistake to promise a referendum. The situation worsened after the arrest of Sheikh Abdullah. However, later Nehru publicly admitted that the arrest was a wrong decision. He had an amazing ability to tolerate criticism and admit his mistakes.

Even on the Hindu Code Bill, was he the only one to blame? It should not be forgotten that Congress had strong leaders at that time. Nehru had to face challenges in the cabinet as well as on the party platform. There was a rift between him and Purushottam Das Tandon. Tandon had become Congress President without Nehru’s consent and was forced to step down. In protest against his policies, Syama Prasad Mookerjee also resigned from the cabinet and started the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the precursor of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Nehru’s differences with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Govind Vallabh Pant were well known. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, who was a member of his cabinet, later also parted ways. The Congress of that time was a democratic party in the true sense and Nehru was like a big leader of a clan in it. He was the leader of the party, but he didn’t always have the last word.

Nehru considered himself accountable to the common man. During an election speech in Kanpur, a man got up and told him that he had given a ticket to a corrupt person. Nehru listened patiently and said that he may have made a mistake, but the person would not make the mistake of voting for a dishonest person.

Perhaps with this intention he established the Panchayati Raj system. Today 31,87,320 people have been elected from over 250,000 panchayats. A large number of them are women and Dalits. It provides an opportunity to the downtrodden of the society to empower themselves through democracy. Another thing we have to keep in mind is that there was no chance of a military coup in Pakistan taking place in India. Can one forget Nehru’s contribution in establishing and nurturing democracy?

We often make the mistake of looking at one’s legacy through a contemporary lens. An honest assessment of Nehru must take into account the circumstances of the time, which his critics easily overlook.

Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief, India. Views expressed are personal.