I am honoured to
deliver the 46thJawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture being organized on
the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal
Nehru. I am grateful to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson and the Trustees of the
Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund for this invitation.
It is not easy
to do justice to Jawaharlal Nehru's remarkable life as well as his contribution
to the making of a modern India in a short lecture. I shall however strive
today to briefly cover some of his views, his actions and the legacy he left
behind.
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
In May of this
year, India saw a peaceful transfer of power from one political formation to
another for the eighth time since 1952. On September 24, 2014, the Mars Mission
launched by the Indian Space Research Organization entered the orbit of the red
planet. In 2008, India and United States concluded a Civil Nuclear Agreement
which recognized India as a State with advanced nuclear technologies and
brought India into the international nuclear mainstream.
What I have
cited above are three important but different moments in India’s recent
history. But, a common thread which runs through them and what they
dramatically illustrate is how Nehru’s legacy is not just intact, but continues
to lead modern day India to new heights of achievement.
Nehru’s services
to India are immeasurable. He was one of the greatest figures of our times.
Nehru had a clear vision of what modern India should look like and he set out
to realize his dreams by establishing strong pillars which would support the
young nation. If India is a vibrant democracy today, it is because of the
foundations laid by Nehru. If India has become the third largest economy in the
world in terms of Purchasing Power Parity, it is because of the multi-purpose
projects, the public sector undertakings and institutions of higher learning
established by Nehru as well as the systematic planning process initiated by
him. If India is today counted amongst the technologically advanced nations of
the world, it is because of Nehru’s promotion of scientific temper and the chain
of scientific research laboratories that he built across the country.
It is Nehru who
brought us from a backward and dependent economy to the emerging power we are
today. It is he who has equipped Indians with the confidence and ability to
ensure that our country obtains its rightful and honoured place amongst the
leading nations of the world.
Nehru and the
Freedom Movement
Friends, Ladies
and Gentlemen,
Jawaharlal
Nehru’s contribution to the freedom movement was unique.
The
end of the First World War saw the unravelling of major empires ruled by the
Kaiser, the Caliph and the Tsar. In India, 1917 saw the Home Rule Movement
commence under the leadership of Dr. Annie Besant. Jawaharlal Nehru, still in
his twenties, began his political career as one of the Joint Secretaries of the
Home Rule League in Uttar Pradesh with his father Motilal Nehru as President.
Jawaharlal Nehru then plunged into the Non-Cooperation movement launched by
Mahatma Gandhi and went to jail in December, 1921.
Thereafter,
Nehru continued to be in the front ranks of the freedom movement. He became the
Congress President at the age of 40 in the Lahore Congress of 1929. The
transfer of baton from the father, Motilal Nehru who presided over the Congress
Session at Calcutta in 1928 was not just symbolic. It truly meant a transfer of
leadership of the Congress to the younger generation. The Lahore Congress
declared "Purna Swaraj” as its goal and authorised the launch of the Civil
Disobedience Movement. Nehru then went on to become President of the Congress
in the Lucknow Session of 1936, Faizpur Session in 1937 and many more times.
Long
before freedom from foreign rule became a reality, Jawaharlal Nehru as
President of the Indian National Congress declared in 1936 that India’s
ultimate objective was the establishment of "a democratic state,”
"full democracy” and a "new social and economic order”[1]. Nehru also popularized
the demand for a Constituent Assembly to draft India’s Constitution and made it
a central issue in the 1937 provincial elections.
Nehru
logged a total of 3262 days in jail during the freedom struggle with 1040 days
during the 1942 Quit India Movement as the longest spell. It is during this
period that Nehru penned the 1200 page manuscript ofThe Discovery of India while
under arrest in Ahmednagar Fort. It was written in flowing hand using rationed
war time paper with no cut, blemish or correction. Nehru was prodigiously
productive in terms of writing and thinking during his different periods in
jail. As is well known, Glimpses of World Historywas written by him
in 1934, based on 196 letters written to his young daughter, Indira from
various prisons. He covered in these letters the entire history of humankind
from 6000 B.C. to the time of writing these letters using only his personal
notes and without any reference books.
Nehru’s
intense passion for India’s freedom can be seen from his words of April 1942,
"We want much”, "Our appetite for freedom is insatiable. We
are hungry for it, and our throats are parched with thirst.”[2]
Nehru
and Parliamentary Democracy
The
establishment of full Parliamentary Democracy in India was a momentous step in
the history of de- colonization. Nehru played a central role in shaping the
process by which limited representative government given by the British in
progressive doses was transformed into vibrant and powerful institutions that
suited the genius of the Indian people. Democracy, for Nehru, meant a
responsible and responsive political system governing through consultation and
discussion. There was in him what his biographer S. Gopal calls:
"a
granite core of intellectual and moral commitment to democratic values”[3].
Moving
the ‘Objectives’ Resolution in the Constituent Assembly, Nehru observed "Whatever
system of Government we may establish here must fit in with the temper of our
people and be acceptable to them”[4].
Nehru
established healthy practices and precedents as Leader of the House in the
Provisional Parliament of 1950 and in the First, Second, and Third Lok Sabhas
from 1952 to 1964. He treated Parliament with great respect and sat patiently
through long and often tedious debates as an example to his colleagues and
young parliamentarians. He spoke frequently in Parliament, and used it as a
forum to disseminate his views to the public. Letters from Members of
Parliament were invariably replied to personally and promptly. Nehru laid down
conventions of lasting value by upholding the Speaker’s position in the House.
Nehru
promoted frank discussions on subjects of importance in the Houses of
Parliament and did not appreciate the use of public interest as a reason to
deny information. Nehru was aware that the lack of an established Opposition
meant significant weakness in the system. He said:
"I
do not want India to be a country in which millions of people say "yes” to
one man, I want a strong opposition.”[5]
Most
of the time of Parliament Sessions during the first to the third Lok Sabhas
were devoted to discussing legislation, budget, Plan and matters related to
money and finance. The volume of financial transactions in those days was very
meagre. In fact, Jawaharlal Nehru once jokingly commented that the budget of
the Government of India is less than the budget of the New York Municipal
Corporation. But, this did not prevent Members of Parliament from having full
debate on various financial issues, especially the Five Year Plans.
Nehru
frequently met Opposition leaders to exchange ideas on crucial issues and asked
his Ministers to welcome probing questions and debates. Even though, there was
no formal opposition party, Nehru gave highest respect to Opposition leaders
like Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Shri Hiren Mukherjee, Shri H.V. Kamath, Shri
A.K. Gopalan and Shri Ashok Mehta, all of whom were members of the first Lok
Sabha. Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was elected to the second Lok Sabha and
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia who became member of the third Lok Sabha also received
special attention from Nehru.
Nehru
took keen interest in the Question Hour and was almost always present during
the Hour. Nehru was attentive to the need to preserve and protect the rights
and privileges of members. He was also particular that the dignity and prestige
of the House should be maintained at all times.
Nehru
had tremendous faith in the capacity of poor, unlettered people to understand
issues and exercise reasoned choices. He did not use the excuse of the
partition of the country and the consequent communal violence or influx of
refugees to postpone elections. On the contrary, he was impatient to go to the
people and unhappy that elections could not be held earlier. In the campaign
for the first General Elections of 1951-52, Nehru personally travelled some
25,000 miles and addressed around 35 million people or a tenth of India’s then
population. He educated the people about the value of adult suffrage and their
duty to discharge their right to vote with responsibility.
Nehru
and Secularism
Nehru
was secular to the core. When the French writer André Malraux asked Nehru late
in life what had been his most difficult task, he replied, "creating
a just state by just means, I think....” And, after a brief pause:
"Perhaps creating a secular state in a religious country, especially when
its religion is not founded on an inspired book.”[6]
It
was because of Nehru’s consistent efforts that India established itself as a
secular state with equal rights for all regardless of their religious
affiliation.
Nehru
and Empowerment of Women
Nehru
was keen that women play their part as equal citizens in the nation. Unlike in
the West, women in India got the right to vote at the same time as men, a goal
spelt out by the Congress as early as 1928. He said in a speech at Kalyani in
1954 that:
"Women
of India must play an adequate role in the building of the country. Without
them the country cannot make rapid progress. The state of progress of the
country can be known by the condition of its women because they are the makers
of the people of the country”[7].
Nehru
and Foreign Policy
The
aftermath of World War II saw the globe split between two rival power blocs of East
and West. For India, more so for Nehru, who as Prime Minister, held the
portfolio of foreign affairs for seventeen long years, staying out of military
blocs and alliances was essential to maintaining freedom of action for the
nascent Indian state. Nehru refused to accept assistance under the Marshall
Plan so as not to compromise India’s independence in foreign policy matters.
Nehru’s
policy of non-alignment did not mean equidistance or isolationism. It meant
independence of judgment and action. It was not a passive but a pro-active and
dynamic policy in which India was strongly committed to the goals of the United
Nations and would do its best for peace in the world. Nehru did not wish to
involve India in the conflict which the great powers were waging or become a
camp follower of any group.
As
early as in 1946, India moved a resolution in the United Nations General
Assembly condemning racial discrimination in South Africa. India sent troops
for peace keeping to the Gaza strip and Congo. India was a tireless campaigner
against nuclear weapons and testing in the oceans and the atmosphere. It played
an important role in the conclusion of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in
1963. Today, when the Cold War has passed into history books, it should be kept
in mind that Nehru’s foreign policy was rooted in the sound, consistent
principle of "India first”.
Nehru
and the building of India’s economy
India
emerged from colonial rule a mostly agrarian country. Agriculture had been
virtually stagnant for half a century and the average rate of economic growth
was less than one percent. Against this dismal backdrop, the first fifteen
years saw an estimated GDP growth at 4% and nearly 2 percent per capita (as
opposed to 0.1 percent in the years 1900-47). This was a historic turning point
and India was on par with the best performing economies of its time, ahead of
China, UK, Japan[8].
Congress
President Subash Chandra Bose in 1938 set up a National Planning Committee with
Jawaharlal Nehru as its Chairman. Jawaharlal Nehru included in it not just
politicians but scientists, economists, businessmen and industrialists. Planning
was seen by Nehru as a vast national endeavour and not just the task of the
Planning Commission. The well known economist P.C. Mahalanobis described the
Nehruvian approach to planning as the Middle Way or the Middle Path. The Mixed
Economy and Welfare State emerged thereafter as important concepts. The setting
up of the Planning Commission, the emergence of the public sector, of land
reforms, of regulations on industrial monopoly, of state trading were all the
result of Nehru’s multifaceted initiatives. Nehru also devised the institution
of the National Development Council (NDC) to secure national and inter-regional
consensus on development programmes. The NDC has been described as an example
of federalism in action.
Nehru
oriented the country to the socialist path by including the Directive Principles
of State Policy in the Constitution. It was at the historic Avadi Session of
the Indian National Congress in 1955, that the Congress gave itself, formally,
the creed of a socialistic pattern of society. The Session coincided with the
launch of the Second Five Year Plan. From then onwards, vigorous utilization of
resources, rapid industrialization and achieving equitable distribution became
the nation’s priorities.
Nehru
has been criticised in later years for having accorded primacy to the Government
in economic matters. These policies must be however seen in the context of
Nehru’s times. Capital formation in a society, exploited for 190 years was a
huge task which could not be left to the private sector alone. Planning helped
allocate scarce resources in accordance with national priorities. The relative
merit of a regulated economy was widely accepted those days.
Nehru’s
efforts did not throttle private initiative. The private sector continued to
play an important role, especially in agriculture and small and medium
industries. In fact, during the early days of independence, even the private
sector supported the idea of a key role for government in creating economic
growth. Moreover, many private sector companies received strong support from
public sector financial institutions, enabling them turn into domestic giants
in their respective fields.
Nehru’s
speech at the inauguration of the Bhakra Nangal Dam still remains in memory as
one of his finest ever.
"For
me, the temples, the gurudwaras, the churches, the mosques of today are these
places where human beings labour for the benefit of other human beings, of
humanity as a whole. They are the temples of today. I feel more, if I may use
the word, religious-minded when I see these great works than when I see any
temple or any place of pure worship. These are the places of worship because
here we worship something; we build up Indians; we build up the millions of
India and so this is a sacred task.”[9].
Investment
in steel and fertilisers, hydro-electric dams and aluminium smelters had an all
round effect on the economy. Growth rates in agriculture during 1950-65
averaged 2.6 percent, higher than in the entire first half of the 20thcentury
in India.
S.
Gopal has summarised Nehru’s achievements as follows: "He
consolidated a nation, trained it for democracy, constructed a model for
economic development and set the country on the path to growth[10].”
Nehru
and Science
Nehru
believed that caste prejudices, religious bigotry, social inequalities etc.
could be eliminated only by developing a scientific spirit in our social
relations and mental habits. Along with scientific achievement, the development
of a scientific frame of mind and a scientific habit of thinking was equally
important. Science was not only a search for truth, but also meant for the betterment
of man.
A
Science Policy was adopted by the Government and scientific laboratories set up
across the country. Indian Institutes of Technology were established to nurture
manpower in engineering. Frontier disciplines such as space and atomic energy
came under the personal supervision of the Prime Minster.
Conclusion
Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today
we tend to take for granted the success of our Parliamentary Democracy. It must
be however kept in mind that in many newly independent nations, first
generation nationalist leaders concentrated all power in their own hands and
were succeeded by military rulers. It was Jawaharlal Nehru and other founding
fathers who ensured that on gaining independence, power was transferred to the
people of India through adoption of the Constitution and regular free and fair
elections.
At
the time of independence, it was widely believed that India would soon lapse
into authoritarianism and the democratic experiment will collapse. India
consolidated itself in the difficult formative years of its nation-building
because of the strong and stable system of parliamentary democracy established
by Nehru.
The
challenge that India faced and the importance of her success has been well
described by former Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Anthony Eden:
"Of
all the experiments in government, which have been attempted since the
beginning of time, I believe that the Indian venture into parliamentary
government is the most exciting. A vast sub-continent is attempting to apply to
its tens and thousands of millions a system of free democracy. It is a brave
thing to try to do so. The Indian venture is not a pale imitation of our
practice at home, but a magnified and multiplied reproduction on a scale we
have never dreamt of. If it succeeds, its influence on Asia is incalculable for
good. Whatever the outcome, we must honour those who attempt it.”[11]
Nehru
when once asked what his legacy to India would be, replied: "Hopefully,
it is four hundred million people capable of governing themselves”[12].
In
the words of S Gopal,
"Achieved
against daunting odds, democracy in India - Adult suffrage, a sovereign
Parliament, a free press, an independent judiciary - is Nehru’s most lasting
monument.”[13]
Jawaharlal
Nehru’s life and vision, his struggles and his achievements were no less than
epic. But it is his deep democratic spirit and practice of a politics vested in
the sovereignty of the people that is his most precious legacy to us. The
manner in which 66.4% of our 834 million strong electorate exercised their vote
in the recent elections to the 16th Lok Sabha is the best
validation of Nehru’s efforts in the above regard.
Democracy has
struck deep roots in India and survived against enormous odds thanks to Nehru’s
stewardship of the nation in its early years.Every one of our
institutions from the independent judiciary and free press to the legislatures
and the Election Commission bear the hallmark of Nehru.
Looking ahead,
we must renew afresh the imperative of protecting and strengthening our
democratic institutions and practices. Imperfect they may be, but they
represent the best way forward for our nation as we forge ahead into the 21stcentury.
Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I
conclude this memorial lecture saluting and paying my humble respects to
Jawahar, the Jewel of India. India is what it is today because of Nehru, his
vision and his lifetime of dedication to the nation. Let us celebrate his
legacy and draw inspiration from his life to take our nation towards greater
and greater glory.
Thank
you,
Jai
Hind.
[1]Address at the
Faizpur Congress Session, 27 December, 1936, See SelectedWorks of Jawaharlal
Nehru/First Series/Vol.7/ (hereafter SWJN/FS/1 etc.) pp. 598-614.
[2]‘The Flower of
Freedom’, National Herald,16 April, 1942 from S. Gopal, ed., An
Anthology, 1980, p. 59.
[3] Sarvepalli
Gopal,Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography, Vol 3, 1956-64, (New Delhi: Oxford
University Press, 1984), P. 276.
[4] Speech to
the Constituent Assembly. SeeSelected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru/Second
Series/Vol.1/(hereafter SWJN/SS/1 etc.) pp. 240-251, here p.247.
[5]Speech in
Trivandrum, 2 June 1950, See Sarvepalli Gopal,Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography, Vol
2, 1947-56, (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1979), p.68.
[6] André
Malraux,Antimemoirs,translated by Terence Kilmartin (London: Hamish
Hamilton, 1968), p. 145.
[7]Speech at a
convention of Women, Kalyani, 23 January 1954. FromCongress Bulletin, February-March
1954. SWJN/SS/24/p.361-362.
[8] Pulapre
Balakrishnan, Economic Growth in India: History and Prospect, (Delhi:
Oxford University Press, 2010), pp.56 and 58-59.
[9]At the
inauguration of the Bhakra-Nangal, 8 July 1954. See SWJN/SS/26/pp.130-143, here
p. 143.
[10]Sarvepalli
Gopal, Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography, Vol. 3, 1956-64: p.302.
[11]A. Eden, Full
Circle (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company 1960), p.246
[12]"Talk with
the PM” by Norman Cousins, The Saturday Review, May 27, 1961, pp. 10-13
[13]S Gopal
Jawaharlal Nehru, A Biography, Vol.3, 1956-64 (published 1984) Harvard
University Press, p.279
****
SH/SBP