Re: BJPs new perspective on Nehru, Patel and Congress. There are quite a few interesting phenomenons being observed in BJP camp with past national leaders from Congress. If you read Rajnath Singhs latest statement from today, it is clearly trying to decouple national leaders from their family affiliations. It wants to associate national leaders without any major family coverage, especially when it comes to Gandhis in Congress. There can be no denial that it is Gandhis who have held the power at the center stage since most of the independent India. That said, is BJP speaking the truth? BJP has been trying to create a media perception or a theory by projecting Patel having better superior leadership powers than Nehru as well as Gandhi having made a huge mistake by backing up the latter. Lets have a quick revisit to history books for some insights. Sankar Ghose in his book, Jawaharlal Nehru, a Biography writes, and I quote as is from Page 167. “Some of the Gandhi’s followers and Patel’s admirers wondered why Gandhi chose Nehru. Kriplani suggested that Gandhi, like all saints, wanted significant men around him. Nehru was preferred because he was a significant man, different from others, and, therefore, in a better position to make Gandhi more acceptable to others, and to a wider, more modern and westernized audience. Indeed among Congress leaders Nehru was called admiringly by some and derisively by many, as the Englishman. Nehru’s contacts with the English and his English education Gandhi, in any event, regarded as a plus point. He said that Nehru, the Harrow boy, the Cambridge student and the English educated barrister would be better able to deal with the English in carrying on negotiations with them for the transfer of power. So with Gandhi’s blessings, and to Patel’s disappointment, Nehru took over as Congress president from Azad on 10 July 1946. As the Congress president, Nehru received Wavell’s invitation to form the interim government. And so when freedom came it was a forgone conclusion that Nehru would become the Prime Minister. Notwithstanding rumours to the contrary, Patel’s name was included in the very first list of ministers that Nehru submitted in August 1947 to Mountbatten. Patel was the minister for Home, Information and Broadcasting and the States. Nehru had wanted to be in charge of the new Ministry of States. But Mountbatten thought that Patel would be able to deal with the princes better and would also be less harsh to them, so he diplomatically persuaded Nehru to give this ministry to Patel. Nehru, who designated Patel as the Dupty Prime Minister, wrote to him saying that he was the “strongest pillar of the Cabinet”, and Patel replied, “Our combination is unbreakable and therein lies our strength”. But within a few months of this, in December 1947, this combination was about to break when Patel was on the verge of submitting his resignation on the question of the powers of the Prime Minister. Nehru maintained in his note to Gandhi on 6 January 1948 that as prime minister he was “more responsible than anyone else”, that he could intervene in the functioning of every ministry and that he had to “play an outstanding role”. This position Patel was not willing to accept as he made clear in his note to Gandhi on 12 January 1948. The Prime Minister could not take decision in areas which belonged to different ministries, for that would amount to interference with the functioning of those ministers and make the Prime Minister a “virtual dictator”. All the he could do was to see that there was no conflict between ministers. However, the storm blew over at the intervention of Gandhi; and till Patel’s death in December 1950 he and Nehru, the dummvirate, controlled the Cabinet and ran the country. Indeed, both Patel and Nehru knew that one could not do without the other. Once Nehru said, “A nod from me and Patel will resign, I know that. He knows the same thing about me.” If you noticed carefully, it was Mountbatten who actually recognized the potential of Patel to be a better negotiator to deal with the princes, not Gandhi. Can you believe it? Right wing media seems to play it mostly as Gandhis blatant bias towards Nehru, at the expense of Patel. However, it was Patel who withdrew his name from Presidentship of Congress, at the request of Gandhi. With the 12 majority voting from the CW in his pocket, he did not have to honor the same if his love for India was higher than Gandhis version. It proves that Patel was emotionally weak or gave in to Gandhis request. He too was loyal to Congress and gave in when it mattered most. Hence, BJP can not spin it both ways. Its not that cut and dry as it often projects along with distortions in right wing media.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 01:41:41 +0000
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