In Retrospect: Is Nehru’s Vision Still Relevant For Modi’s India?

The swearing-in ceremony of the 15th Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was followed by another event – the 50th death anniversary of the late Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Interestingly, everything I read about Jawaharlal Nehru this year was less about Nehru and more about Modi. It mainly revolved around a hypothetical comparative analysis between the two personalities and the dying legacy of the Congress.

Nehru, a visionary leader, thought of India as a modern and self-reliant nation. Although his perceptions and policies are now questioned and often ridiculed by many, in order to understand the man and his vision, it is important to understand the circumstances under which he took the responsibility of building a newly formed India.

Nehru, who was a practising barrister, left his career to join India’s freedom struggle. He became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1929 and along with Mahatma Gandhi, led the country’s fight for independence. Later on, he went on to become the longest-serving prime minister of India.

He firmly believed that religion and politics should be dealt with separately. He was strictly against defining India on the basis of religion, especially when 560 princely states were to sign the Instrument of Accession in India’s favour.

He promoted education and ensured equal rights for women. He brought the Hindu Code Bill to the table, which gave women the right to inherit property and the right to divorce. He worked for the industrialisation of India as it was essential to make the country self-reliant. It was during his tenure key institutions such as DRDO and ISRO were set up.

His clarity on world affairs and history was commendable. This has been exemplified through his prolific works such as Glimpses of World History and Discovery of India. It had helped him shape the policies for India once he came to power. He gave importance to agriculture but did not leave industrialisation behind. Nehru invested in public institutions with limited private interference and gave priority to parliamentary procedures.

Nehru was a Socialist and a secular personality, so amply reflected by his policies. However, he was never inclined towards joining any of the blocs during the Cold War. He clearly understood the dangers of forming alliances with either of the blocs. Therefore, the Principle of Non-alignment came into existence. India was among the first colonies to get Independence, which was followed by many other Asian and African states. Hence, India’s policy of Non-alignment evolved into a non-alignment movement, featuring a group of independent states who did not want to join any power bloc.

Within a short span, he managed to put India on the global map by playing a strong role in ending the Korean War and by signing the Nehru-Liaquat Pact on the treatment of minorities in India and Pakistan. He stood against racialism and stood for independence of all colonies.

However, one of the blunders of Nehru’s foreign policy was the way he miscalculated China’s intentions and military capabilities. Some thinkers still believe what Nehru did was the only choice he had. However, the reason for his untimely death was primarily the humiliating defeat in 1962 for which he is flayed even today.

Finally, in his Tryst with Destiny (a speech made by Nehru to the Indian Constituent Assembly in The Parliament, on the eve of India’s Independence), Nehru posed a question that is still relevant today when the power dynamics in the sphere of international relations are changing rapidly.

“The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?”