CHAPTER -4

JAWAHAR LAL NEHRU'S CONTRIBUTION IN INDIAN POLITICS

Jawahar Lal Nehru was one among the few freedom fighters of India.
The role of Nehru in the political life of India was unique. Nehru was a great
man and a great leader and what he did and achieved in nearly two decade-
long stewardship of the Indian Republic is a matter of joy and pride for all of us
. Jawahar Lal Nehru's place in history would be assured by the leadership role
he played in the anti-imperialist struggle. He would have in all humility and
sincerity given due credit to all who gave of their best and indentified
themselves heart and soul with the freedom movement and an account of
whose collective effort India gained liberation from the British Rule.1

Jawahar Lal Nehru (1889-1964) was the first Prime Minister of India
and a control figure in Indian Politics before and after independence. He
emerged as the paramount leader of the Indian independence movement under
the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi and ruled India from its establishment as an
independent nation in 1947 until his death in 1964. He is considered to be the
architect of the modern Indian nation state: a sovereigh, socialist, secular and
democratic republic. He was also known as Pandit Nehru due to his roots with
the Kashmiri Pandit Community while many Indian children knew him as "
Uncle Nehru." 2

The sun of Motilal Nehru, a prominent lawyer and nationalist statesman

and swaroop Rani, Nehru was a graduate of Trinty College, Cambridge and the
Inner Temple, where he trained to be a barrister upon his return to India, he
entrolled at the Allahabad High Court, and took an interest in national politics,
which eventually replaced his legal practice. A committed nationalist since his
teenage years, he became a rising figure in Indian Politics during the upheavals
of the 1910 s. He became the prominent leader of the left-wing factions of the
Indian National Congress during the 1920s, and eventually of the entire
congress with the tacit approval of his mentor, Gandhi. As congress president

1
in 1929, Nehru called for complete independence from the British Raj and
instigated the Congress's decisive shift towards the left.3Nehru and the congress
dominated Indian Politics during the 1930s as the country moved towards
independence- His idea of a secular nation- state was seemingly validated when
the congress, under his leadership, swept the 1937 provincial elections and
formed the government in several provinces, on the other hand, the separatist
Muslim League fored much poorer. But these achievements were seriously
compromised in 1942, which saw the British effectively crush the congress as a
political organization.4

Nehru who had reluctantly heeded Gandhi's call for immediate

independence, for he had desired to support the Allied war effort during the
second world war came out of a lengthy prison term to a much altered political
landscape. The Muslim league under his old congress colleague and now bête
noire, Muhammad Ali Jinnah had come to dominate Muslim Politics in India
Negotiations between Nehru and Jinnah for power sharing fialed and gave way
to the independence and bloody partition of India in 1947.5

Nehru was elected by the congress to assume office as inderpendent

India's first Prime Minister, although the question of leadership had been
settled as for back as 1941, when Gandhi acknowledged Nehru as his political
heir and successor As Prime Minister, he set out to realize his vision of India.
The constitution of India was enacted in 1950 after which he embarked on an
ambitious program of economic, social and political reforms.6 Chiefly , he over
saw India's transition from a colony to a republic while nurturing a plural,
multi-party democracy. In foreign policy, he took a leading role in Non-
Alignement while projecting India as a regional hegemon in South Asia.7

Under Nehru's leadership, the congress emerged as a catch-all party,

dominationg national and state- level politics and winning consecutive
elections in 1951,1957 and 1962. He remained popular with the people of India
in spite of Political troubles in his final years and failure of leadership during
the 1962 sino- Indian war. In India his birthday is celebrated as children's Day.
2
NEHRU'S POLITICAL ROLE

Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru was a freedom fighter, historian, political

thinkers and above all a successful ruler who continued as Prime Minister till
his death. After him, his daughter, Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi
became Prime Ministers.8

Nehru first met Gandhi in 1916, and that also may be called the
beginning of his political career. From 1916 till his visit to Soviet Russia in
1928, he was groping his way into Indian Politics. During this period he had
put himself entirely in the hand of Gandhi, who advised him to study Indian
conditions by taking extensive tours to the rural areas of India and established
contact with the people in order to know them as they were.9

However a turning point came in Nehru's life after his European tour
and his visit to Russia in 1927. This was probably the beginning of Nehru's
disillusionment with Gandhism. His visit to Soviet Russia had brought about a
change in Nehru's Political ideas, but finding Gandhi unsympathetic to all that
he had to say about class. Conflict, he, for a time at least decided to go alone.

However, Nehru was with Gandhi during the civil Disobedience

Movement (1920-1934). After Gandhi had abruptly with drawn the movement
in 1934 Nehru and Subhas Bose resented the decision . Gandhi himself was a
title disappointed and finding circumstance unfavourable, declined to take part
in the activities of the congress parth. That was the time of crisis in the Party.10

However, by 1935 the situation has changed again. People like Bose and
Jawahar Lal ,Remain Relland tells us, felt " over shadowed by Gandhi's
presence He says in his diarys- This is probably what has happened with
Jawahar Lal Nehru" in his ideas je goes a long way, to the bring of communism
and may be even beyond. But his fitial respect for Gandhi makes him timid and
uncertain in his action." By this time Nehru had established a socialist coterie
in the congress party. From this time onwards it was Nehru Gandhi nexus
which determined the march of the independence movement.11 However, On

3
the 15 January 1941, Gandhi made it clear as to what he thought about Nehru.
Addressing the working committee meeting, he said that Nehru would be his
hair, not raj- gopolachari as some people thought .

SOURCES OF INFLUENCE

Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru was a quer mixture of east and west. He got
his education in England, So influence of English culture on him was profound.
In Political Thinking he was influenced by the thinkers of Fabian society of
which he remained a member for a long time. Particularly George Bernard
shaw influenced him most. He also went to Russia and was profoundly
influenced by its progress even in his young age and began to appreciate
socialism. In India he was profoundly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and in
his speeches, there is queer mixture of Gandhism and Socialism.12

NEHRU'S POLITICAL THOUGHT AND IDEOLOGY

Nehru was not a Political philosopher but a Karmayogi or a man of

action. Perhaps there can be no Nehruism as there is Gandhism. In spite of all
this Nehru sponsored the idea of Democratic Socialism, Panchsheel, Policy of
non- alignment, concept of welfare state and economic planning in India. Great
difficulty in assessing Nehru's Political thoughts remain that he always praised
socialism but also support capitalism. He talked of following leftist policy but
generally favoured rightest policy. He talked almost democratic rights but
always gave encouragement and support to bureaucracy. As such, it is difficult
to pass any judgement about him.13

According to this view, Nehru is contribution pertains to the " Political

Socialogy" or development, and not to the intellectual activity of Political
thinking or political ideologising. We are told that whatever their rhetoric, the
so- called philosopher kings of trhe Third world " all act as westerners," All ;
the only innovativeness that the liberal-rationalists see in Nehru and the other
nationalist leaders of the Third world is that they reversed the imperialist or
colonial orientalism of the European or occidental powers; list political

4
ideology regarded the oriential as a passive object to be civilized by the active,
occidental subject, Nehru and the other Third world nationalists are said to
have merely reversed that orientalism by asserting and acting out the
subjectivity of the oriental.

The epistemological and philosophical categories of this newly

proclumed subjectivity of the Third world countries, we are told, are all
borrowed from modern western political philosophy. Hence according to the
liberal- rationalists, while Nehru's ' role' as a modernizing or westernizing elite
may be a fit subject of study by the students of the political sociology or of the
functionalist theory of Political development his political ideology is said to be
wholly lacking in originality or creativity and therefore not worth even a
mention in the study of political thought.14

Nationalist thought according to him, has lacked the ideogical means to

make such a challenged. In an insightful attempt to uncover the " apparent
paradoxes" of Jawahar Lal Nehru Sudipta kaviraj gives him credit for his
innovativeness in setting up a politically independent bourgeois state and
pursuing a relatively independent path of refarmist welfarist capitalist
development.15 Nehru however, according to Kaviraj, resorted to an'
irresponsible' technique of legitimation, namely " a manipulation of the evident
16
appeal of the socialist idea in a poor and illiterate country" Nehru's
'socialism) Kaviraj notes, brought him political success in the electoral arena
but historical failure against such impersonal or " structural problem" of
capitalism as poverty, incequality, exploitation. Etc. ' Nehru writes kaviraj,"
17
was a political success and at the same time a historical failure." This
conclusion seems to me to be too sweeping and not quite in keeping with the
theory of the " relative autonomy" of the Political. If the political is relatively
autonomy" of the Political. If the political is relatively autonomous" from the
economic and if Nehru is credited with political success then that success must
be seen as altering the economic in same significant way.

5
Nehru's political success, in other words cannot be said to be without any
historical consequence. The Nehruvian idealogy of anti- imperialist democratic
socialism had indeed server as a guarantee against to selling out of national
economic bargaining power" vis-à-vis the advanced nations and the
international financial agencies. It has also led to a considerable sharing of the
fruits of economic growth with the disadvantaged sections of the Indian
society.18

Nehru believed in a democracy ,if civil liberties are suppressed," he said,

a nation loses all vitality and becomes important for anything substantial" Civil
liberties, he believed, consist in our permitting what we do not like, in our
putting up with criticism of ourselves." He was a genuine champ on of
individual freedom. In the unity of India, he said, To crush a contrary opinion
forcibly and allow it no expression because we dislike it, is essentially of the
same genus as cracking the skull of an opponent because we disapprove of
him."19

Nehru preferred parliament any democracy to presidential democracy,

because the latter could at times, lapse into authoritarianism. In a parliamentary
democracy the ruling party is directly elected by the people, and they have,
therefore, no scope to overlook the interests of the people. They have to remain
in constant touch with the people and they are in a position to make their
representative aware of their needs and requirements.

Nehru was the Prime Minister of India for about seventeen years and
people had sufficient opportunity to Judge him from close quarters . Most of
the people think that Nehru always acted like a good democrat and never
flouted the opinions of his companions in the ruling party. Some people, like
Ambedkar had some gradge against him, when Ambedkar resigned from the
Nehru Cabinet in 1956, he expressed his displeasure with Nehru, one of the
reasons for his resignation, he later said, was Nehru's undemocratic
20
functioning. In the final analysis Democracy meant to Jawahar Lal ' Self-
discipline of the community. In one of his speeches he observed as follows:'
6
you may define democracy in a hundered ways, but surely one of its definitions
it self discipline of the community. The less the imposed discipline, the more
the self discipline, the higher is the development of democracy.21 In a speech
delivered in the House of the people on August 2,1952, He remarked that
democracy was essentially a scheme of values and moral standered in life: In a
world, it can be said that while during the days of the national struggle for
freedom the political aspects of democracy very naturally received great
attention, in the post, independence era the emphasis shifted to its economic
content. The new not simply democratic but also socialistic pattern of society
to be established by democratic means and not through the dictatorship of the
proletariat . what stood in the way of Jawahar Lal becoming a full-fledged
Marxist or communist was his passionate attachment to the democratic ideal.
As years rolled by the began to lay grater stress on the and spiritual aspects of
democracy. Democracy demands that once a decisions has been arrived at in
the proper way after full discussion and give and take of argument, it should be
willingly accepted by those who do not agree with it. The later have of course
the right to get it altered or amended by proper constitutional means.22

Nehru like his father had an element of oristocratic arrogance in him,

and he had the tremendous flare for asserting his opinions. Even before the
independence, there were occasions when Nehru asserted his convictions and
people accepted them .This habit must certainly have continued even after his
taking over charge as the Prime Minister of the country. It would be wrong
therefore to suggest that he was willfully arrogant or undemocratic during his
primeministership.23 Thus under Jawahar Lal Nehru 's lead India chose the
road of democratic socialison Nehru declared even in 1929 at Lahore," I must
frankly confess that I am a Socialist and republican ---- India will have to go
that way, too, if she seeks to end her poverty and inequality though she may
evolve her own methods and may adopt the ideal to the genius of her race. The
68th session of the Indian National congress which met in January 1964, at
Bhubneswar also decided to follow the path of democratic socialism for
bringing about a welfare state. The significance of India's socialism lies in the
7
fact that it wants gladly to settle down with democracy. To conduct the socialist
programme in a democratic set up is one of the greatest achievement of Nehru.

Nehru, though an internationist was deeply patriotic and nationalistic.

This might appear as a paradox, but his political activities prove that he was
both at the same time. He did not feel any particular kind of emotional pride in
belonging to a country like India, but he considered India as a separate political
entity having a common society Indians have lived together, suffered together
and have faced miseries and difficulties together. They are, there fore
historically united. They should therefore have the right of self-determination.24
We have to think of our country as one nation, not because we are against any
other country, but because our history and our geographical conditions have
compelled us to live together and, if we are destined to live together, we are
bound to have love and effection for each other.25

As a true nationalist, he wanted India not only to be politically free but

also economically free. The Brithishers were merely exploiting India. So long
as, he said we did not have the power to control our means of production, it
would not be possible for us to be free in the real sense of term. For this we
should have our needs and requirements. For this reason we should also have
our independent Constitutional Assembly. Nehru felt that Indian nationalism
cannot be built on the basis of religion or caste. India is a multi-racial country
though internally bound by a strong sense of cultural unity. The people should
rise above caste and community, we have to feel that all of us are the children
of the same soil, out nationalist ideals, therefore, can be built only on the basis
of secularisam.26

When on talks about Nehru's nationalism one must also be careful. He

was not a nationalist in any narrow sense of the term. He was dead against
Fascism and Nazism. He had absolutely no idea of any kind of racial
superiority. He was a nationalist in the sense that (a) he believed in the
historical unity of India.(b) he was definite about the fact that the British had
no right to rule over India (c) he believed that India could not progress
8
economically unless it attained complete freedom. He understood the problem
of India social, economic, racial and communal and he was convinced that
these problems could not be solved without complete political independence. It
was for these reasons that he thought of India as a separate nation. 27

As a nationalist Jawahar Lal, justified the effort of every country subject

to alien rule to throw off the foreign yoke and regain its freedom. He welcomed
and supported the rise of national movement in countries like Egypt, Marocco,
Algeria, Indonesia and congo. He particulary welcomed the rise of Arab
nationalism. He asserted that it was perfectly natural for every subject country
to think in terms of nationalism, that the nationalist ideal 'is deep and strong,'
28
and 'is not a thing of the past with no future singnificance. Jawahar Lal did
not consider nationalism to be an un-mixed good. He was conscious of its
narrowing and cramping effect on the human mind. He felt sure that after
having attained freedom India would welcome all attempts at Cooperation with
other nations and would be prepared even to give up apart of her own
independence to a larger group of which She might become an equal member.
Ground for this had been prepared by the Contribution made by men of vision
like Swami Vivekananda, Bepin Chandra Pal and Gandhi Ji. In short the
nationalism of Jawahar Lal was permeated by an international outlook.

As we have seen above Jawahar Lal Nehru was a great nationalist: his
role in the struggle for national freedom was second only to that of his master,
Mahatma Gandhi. But like the nationalism of Swami Vivekananda, Tagore and
Gandhi Ji, his nationalism was shot through and through with the spirit of
internationalism: it was neither narrow nor exclusive; there was no room in it
for the hatred of other nations.29 Throughout his public life he was an ardent
supporter of internationalism. It is generally admitted that it was Jawahar Lal
who first made the Indian National Congress broaden its outlook so as to take
more interest in international affairs. Again it was Jawahar who made it realize,
that the Indian struggle for freedom was actually a part of a global struggle and
that it could be made to succeed only it greated into the context of

9
internationalism development. It would be recalled that it was because of him
that the National Congress was represented at the congress of oppressed
Nationalities held at Brussels in February,1927, and also became a member of
the league against Imperialism. The concept of his internationalism led him not
only to the concept of some sort of world federation but also to the pursuit of
peace between nations of the world and to support the united Nations. It also
provided a firm foundation for his Policy of non-alignment and keeping India
away from joining any-power bloc. He would not cultivate internationalism at
the cost of nationalism. He held that in a contest between the two nationalism
was bound to win. In the Discovery he came to the conclusion after a wide
survey of national and international affairs that while individuals and small
groups could became international minded and could be persuaded to sacrifice
personal and group interest for a large cause, nations could not International
interests can arouse enthusiasm in a country only if they are in line with
national interests.30 This shows the realism of Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Internationalism demands that each country shall take an intelligent interest in
world affairs and give up the desire to live in isolation from the rest.
Nationalism and must be balanced and harmonized in the interest of world
peace and world unity.

PLANNING

Planning sometimes denotes any programme of action but state planning

means national centralized control of economy. Planning in practice means the
drawing up of preferences and priorities by experts and their imposition on the
people who do not actively participate in plan activities at any stage. Planning
can be classified into four categories: (1) central planning under socialism as in
Russia and China (2) Guided capitalism and dynamic competition (Post war
America and Germany). (3) Planned capitalism (France and Britain).(4) Mixed
economy or synthetic approach as adopted by India under the leadership of
Nehru,31 That is why for achieving fundamental transformation of the social
structure and the certain of a socialist society, Nehru conceived planning as a

10
powerful instrument. To him," Planning was net merely an instrument or
forecast but was a means to evolve a social structure on an appropriately
designed economic foundation. The process of planning should set in motion a
new series of cumulative forces which should help the poor to get over the
32
barrier of poverty." But " Planning by itself has little meaning and need not
necessarily lead to good results." " It is only through a planned approach on
socialistic lines that steady progress can be attained though even that will take
time. It goes to the credit of Nehru that he adopted most suitable mixed
planning for India and on accout of three Five years plans under the leadership
of Pandit Nehru within the democratic frame work and it is an astonishing
achievement of Nehru.33

NEHRU'S PANCH SHEEL AND NON-ALIGNMENT

Nehru's internationalism finally expressed itself in the form of panch

sheel and Non-Alignment. Both were directed towards his internationalism,
though generally recognized as the ideological base of his foreign policy during
the seventeen years of his foreign policy during the seventeen years of his
Prime Minister ship. Nehru felt necessity of International co-opertion because
as he said " the alternative to world Co-operation is world disaster.

Thus, when India attained freedom, it became under Nehru's leadership,

a non-aligned country. After the second world war, two giants Russia and
America emerged all powerful. Most of the countries aligned themselves either
with America or Russia through the pacts like N.A.T.O. S.E.A.T.O, Warshaw
pact, etc. But Nehru followed the neutral policy of non-alignment without
offending any country.34 In the beginning it broght good divided and in the war
between China and U.S.A.in Korea, India was the main country to settle the
dispute. Similarly, in all other disputres, India gained an upper and played
leading role as a mediator as in case of Indonesia or Suez crisis, etc. According
to Nehru," The part our foreign policy and India have played in international
affairs --- counted for more than its either military or financial strength was
35
entitled to " an the basis of his non aligned approach, Nehru succeeded in
11
playing a very significant and fruitful role in the united Nations, India,s voice
was heard and respected, India, through its influence in the united Nations, had
emerged as a powerful voice. Nehru, even long before this, had became an
international figure Through his positive role in the world of today, he emerged
as a world leader whose opinions were being considered seriously all over the
world. It is India's role, through Nehru, that it succeeded in tackling such
difficult problems as the Suez canal problem, cease-fire in Korea and ending
hostilities in Indo-china.

How for the policy of non-alignment proved successful is a debatable

question and only future will tell its fate but it cannot be denied that it is one of
the achievement of Nehru to bring such a concept on forefront and other
countries followed him. Similarly he favoured the membership of common
wealth of Nation without giving up republicanism of India. These are the most
notable achievement of Nehru. He said about non-alignment will be preserved
what was negative- that dream world will be abandoned" wherever freedom
and democracy are in Jeopardy, the world will not find India neutral.36

The basis of Nehru's foreign policy was based on his concept of Panch
sheel, a concept which he formulated during the Baundungt conference in June,
1954, Borrowing the Panch Sheel in accordance with the united Nations
Charater China and India accepted the idea of Panch-Sheel and it was adopted
by many countries. The five principles enshrined in the concept were "(1)
mutual respect for each other territorial intergrity and sovereignty (2) mutual
non-agression,(3) mutual non-interferance in each other's internation affairs (4)
equality and mutual advantage, and (5) peaceful co-existence and economic-co-
operation.37 Thus, the panch sheel was an effort to make the policy of non-
alignement positive and constructive. If non-alignment was to keep away from
to power-blocks, the panch sheel was to make necruality a positice virtue, a
constructive programme, a step towarda peaceful co-existence not only for
India but for the whole world. In any case, non alignment as a new type of
foreign policy after the second world war, has stood the test of time. The credit

12
for its success non only in India but in spite of severe opposition from many
quarters, stuck to it and proved it as a deterrant against the cold war.

NEHRU : SOCIALISM AND COMMUNISM

When India attained freedom in 1947, Nehru adopted Non-alignment as

the guiding principle of India's foreign policy. One of the major charges against
him at that time was that his non alignment policy was really a policy of
appeasement in the international politics. This charge set people to think about
Nehru's socialistic ideas which he so dearly cherished before 1947. It was said
again and again that he had given up his ideas of socialism and communism
and had become a political reactrionary using non-alignment as a weapon to
retain his Prime Minister ship.38

If we think of socialism as the post-marxian doctrine generally called

communism, Nehru was definitely not seriously aware of it before his visit to
Soviet Russia in 1927. Before 1927 he was socialism, or if one likes to call it
so, Utopain Socialism, which reached Gandhi through Plato. Thomas More and
of course through the Indian tradition on the basis of which Gandhi envolved
his concept of the Daridranarayan. When he was in England, Nehru had come
in contract wit yet another kind of socialism which was called Fabian
socialism. When of Nehru came to India he got an opportunity to see the
people of India and their poverty. It created in his mind disgust for Brithish
imperialism.39 It was during his impressionable years that he visited Russia and
had the opportunity of studying lenisist Socialism, which was itself a new
version of Marx's scientific socialism. Nehru was impressed by the progress
made by Russia after the 1917 Revolution. At that time he thought that it would
perhaps be very useful if the same kind of socialism or communism could be
applied to India also.

In a state of confusion and conflict, Nehru thought at the time probably

Marxism could solve some of his problems which the vedant could nor". But,"
says he" even accepting that approach, the consequences that flow from it and

13
the interpretation of past and present happening were by no means always
clear. Marx's general assessment of social development seems to have been
remarkably correct and yet many development took place later which did not fit
in with his outlook for the immediate future.40 Nehru was deeply under the
influence of Marx and Lenin from his visit to Russia in 1927 to 1940 or so.
After 1940 he had to play the role of a senior statesman and any sort of
theoretical arrogance on his part would have been unfavourable. That is why
his earlier emotional attitude to communism had to undergo a change. That is
not mean, however. That he was not a socialist after 1940 or 1947. He was
never in favour of socialism as a political structure or socialism as a method of
action in political life. It was more to him a philosophy rather than an economic
dogma. That is why it finally emerged into a sort of compromise between
socialism and capitalism. He never believed in the communist methods of
social change. He always followed Gandhi's moral concept as a way of life. He
did not always agree with Gandhi. He even called Gandhi's principle of trustee
ship as " metaphysical rubbish." But his brand of socialism was not what it was
practiced by people like stalin in Russia.41

Nehru, though a socialist in his way of thinking, always attached great

value to individual freedom and democracy. It was at this point that Nehru had
to differ from basic communistic premises. Any system in which-as-in
communism individual freedom and democracy are sacrifices and only state
becomes a reality was not acceptable to Nehru. That is why he laid stress on the
socialistic pattern of society rather than in adopting a socialistic system and
impose it upon India our objective should be, he said," a society in which there
is equality of opportunity and the possibility for every one to live a good life."
He can have freedom of conscience and mind, freedom of enterprises, and even
the possession of private property on a restricted scale.42

Thus Nehru had a great contribution in Indian Politics. Nehru was not a
philosopher in the technical sense of the term, but he was definitely a great
thinker. Politicians generally act according to the exigencies of situations as

14
they arise, and try to get over the difficulties that they face through clever
manipulations. Nehru was not a pettly politician. All his political activities
during his career had a stamp of careful and deep thinking. A haphazard
political behavior, which we have had the misforture of having seen in recent
years, would have ruined India sooner that later, if the reigns of power had not
been in the hands of such a man as Nehru. Gandhi had realized this fact well in
advance, That was the reason that he named Nehru as his spiritual heir and
prepared him for shouldering the responsibility of a new born nation.43

Before actually launching a hest of new programmes for the

development of the country, Nehru deeply and carefully studied the political
and social conditions prevailing in India at that time. He was a professed
socialist before taking overcharge as the Prime Minister, and as a powerful man
of that time, he could easily hare imosed a purely socialistic system on India. If
he so desired. He therefore, made a rather " hesitant start" towards the
socialistic goal. In the field of economics he called it mixed economy, party,
Capitalistic, party socialistic but quite in keeping with the prevailing situations
at that time. What could be greater example of Nehru's Political wisdom ? He
did not sacrifice the demands of socialism, but left enough scope for private
initiative at the same time.

One of the greatest achievement of Nehru was his ability to act as a

powerful comenting force in a multi-racial, multi communal and multilingual
country like India. The greatest need of that hour was national integration.
Nehru believed in a classless and caste-less society. He was sometimes irriated
by the attitude of fundamentalists and caste leaders, but he succeeded in
creating an atmosphere of unity and peace. It is sure that he could not do all
that was required. Some people that Nehru's secular policy turned out to be a
policy of appeasement. Too many Concessions were granted to the minorities
and in their turn, They started developing at tendencies, Similarly, the caste
system-stricken areas, mostly inhabited by the depressed classes, were not
allowed to develop economically. These are some of the problems which exist

15
in India even after fortyfour years of India's independence. Should one blame
Nehru for their persistence ? whatever is on record is an ample proof to the fact
that Nehru did more for national integration than any other leader after him.44

Nehru, as an author of the policy of non-alignment and the Panch sheel,

succeeded in placing India in a respectable position in the community of
nations. When he formulated his policy of non-alignment some people laughed
at it and called it a poor weapon of self-defence. Some people called it
immoral, because it would not serve the interest of the group they favoured.
Now that the policy of non-alignment has already stood the test of time. (Even
in 1992 some Asian Nations such as china, and Nepal have renewed their
pledge to follow the principles of the Panch Sheel.) People realize what a great
achievement it was . Nehru had the courage to assert the claims of the third
world countries and he vociferously propagated the cause of Afro-Asian Unity.
In spite of his obvious communist learning, Nehru did not throw India into the
leftis block, nor did he want India to be a stooge of the capitalist block. He
showed the guts to be in favour of what he thought was the right cause. Even
during the Chinese invansion of India, Nehru did not shake off the policy of
non-alignment.

16
 REFERENCE

1. Jawahar Lal Nehru, The Discovery of India, P 259 Calcutta, 1946.

2. J.L.Nehru, An Authobiography,1972, P.316
3. Jawahar Lal Independence And After. Bombay.1950.P.58.
4. Ibid . P.60.
5. Ibid.P.85.
6. B.K.Ahluwalia, Jawahar Lal Nehru : India's man of Destiny Delhi.
1990-P-170.
7. J.L.Nehru, The unity of India, London, 1948.P.180.
8. History of Politicali Thought.R.S.Charasia, Published by Atlantic
Publishers & Distributors, 2003, P.175.
9. Manoj Sharma, Adminstrative Thinkers, Anmol Publication 2004,P.468.
10. Ibid. 469.

11. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Towards freedom, Allahabad, 1942 P.140

12 Jawahar Lal Nehru, An Autobiography.1972,P.50.

13. Michael Breacher,Nehru: A Political Biography,OP.Cit 1945, P.180.

14. Ibid.P.182.

15. Kaviraj Sudipta " Apparent Paradoxes of Jawahar Lal Nehru's

Mainstrream November 15,22 and 29,1980 and December 6 and 13,
1980.

16. Ibid, December 6,1980, P.40

17. Ibid, December 13, 1980, P.26

18. Mukherjee Aditya and Mridula Mukherjee," Imperialism and Growth of

Indian capitalism in Twentieth Century," Economic and Political
weekly, 12 March.

19. S.Gopal. Jawahar Lal Nehru: A Biography Volume III .1962, P.195.

17
20. Michaell Breacher.OP.Cit.1945, P.85.

21. Speeches of Jawahar Lal ,1949-53, Page 472

22. Jawahar Lal Nehru's visit to America.P.105.

23. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Glimpses of the world History, (Delhi: 1980) P.620

24. Jawahar Lal Nehru, India and world. P.170.

25. Jawahar Lal Nehru, An Authobiography,1972, P.25.

26. Jawahar Lal Nehru, on Co-operation . PP.65.

27. Ibid . P.70.

28. Hiren Mukherjee, OP.Cit, 1960, P.45.

29. Ibid. P.46.

30. Willard Range: Jawahar Lal Nehru's word. View P.42.

31. Jawahar Lal Nehru An Autobiography, 1972. P-120

32. S. Gopal. OP.Cit.1962, P.210.

33. Ibid. P.213.

34. B.N.Muillick, My years with Nehru,1962, P.165

35. Nehru in Lok Sabha on 19.9.1963.

36. Nehru before American Congress in 1949.

37. Panch Sheel, Five Principles (Pact signed with chin force of truth)

38. Nehru to Chief Ministers (25 Oct.1957)

39. Hiren Mukherjee, The Gentle Colossous, 1960, P.165

40. Ashok Mehta. OP,Cit.,1960, P.457.

41. Foreign policy of Jawahar Lal . P.65.

18
42. Ibid P.76.

43. Jawahar Lal Nehru, The Discovery of India,1961, P-370.

44. Ibid- P.375.

19