Nehru’s Legacy: A Look at the Architect of Modern India
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, played a pivotal role in shaping the country's modern identity. As the architect of modern India, Nehru's legacy can be seen in the nation's political, economic, and cultural development. His commitment to democracy, secularism, and scientific progress helped to lay the foundations for a strong and prosperous India. Despite facing numerous challenges and criticisms during his tenure, Nehru's vision and leadership continue to influence India's direction to this day. One must examine Nehru's contributions to India's growth and progress, as well as the enduring impact of his vision on the country's future.
The Father of Independent India
Jawaharlal Nehru played a crucial role in the country's journey to independence and the shaping of its modern identity. As a key leader of the Indian independence movement and a member of the Congress Party, Nehru worked tirelessly towards the goal of freeing India from British rule.
One of Nehru's most significant contributions was the integration of the 565 princely states in India, which had the option of becoming independent or joining either India or Pakistan after the British announced their departure in 1947. Nehru, along with Sardar Patel and support from Lord Mountbatten, successfully integrated all of these states into one united India, with the exception of the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir.
In addition to his efforts in unifying the various princely states, Nehru also worked with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to draft and pass the Hindu Code Bill. This legislation granted Hindu women important rights such as the right to divorce and property ownership, and was a significant step towards gender equality in India. Despite Ambedkar's resignation before the bill was passed, his contributions to its development were significant.
Nehru's influence extended beyond just domestic policies, as he also played a key role in the drafting of the Objectives Resolution, which later became the Preamble to the Indian Constitution. This resolution, which outlined the principles and values that would guide the newly independent nation, remains a crucial part of India's governance to this day.
Nehru's Vision for India: Setting the Stage for Prosperity and Progress
As the first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru played a crucial role in shaping the country's modern democracy and building institutions that have lasted for decades. His contributions to India's economic and technological development are numerous, including the establishment of the Planning Commission and the Indian Institutes of Technology, as well as the development of India's nuclear program and the establishment of the Atomic Energy Commission.
Under his leadership, India experienced significant economic growth, with the country's growth rate rising from 0.72% inherited from the British to 3.6% within five years of independence. Nehru recognized the importance of science and technology in driving this growth, and worked to establish institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to promote education and research. In a country that began independence with a 12% literacy rate, Nehru's commitment to education and scientific progress was instrumental in laying the foundations for a strong and prosperous India. Despite facing numerous challenges and criticisms during his tenure, Nehru's vision and leadership continue to influence the country's direction and shape its future.
Nehru was also a strong advocate for social justice and equality. He implemented a number of policies and programs aimed at improving the lives of the poor and disadvantaged, including land reform, universal education, and the construction of dams and irrigation systems.
Nehru's commitment to science and education was evident in the numerous institutions he helped to establish, including the Indian Institutes of Technology and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He also recognized the importance of science in solving social issues like poverty and hunger, and gave leading scientists of the time the freedom to establish some of the country's most important research institutes. Nehru's vision for India included a socialistic approach to nation building, and he worked to establish giant public sector undertakings such as BHEL, SAIL, and GAIL. He also contributed to self-reliance in nuclear power, with the construction of the CIRUS nuclear power plant in 1960, and the establishment of research institutes like BARC.
In addition to his contributions to science and technology, Nehru also worked to modernise education in India with the establishment of institutions like the IITs and IIMs. He also focused on infrastructure development, building roads and constructing dams like the Bhakra Dam, as well as laying the foundations for irrigation schemes in Punjab and neighbouring states.
One of Nehru's key legacies was the Non-Aligned Movement, which he co-founded with Yugoslavia's Josip Broz Tito and Eygpt's Gamel Abdel Nasser. This movement sought to give newly independent countries a voice on the global stage and stood against both the communism of the Soviet Union and the capitalism of the United States. Nehru's popularity and leadership skills made him a key figure in this movement, which continues to have influence today.
Despite his many achievements, Nehru faced criticism for his handling of the 1962 Sino-Indian War and his policies were sometimes seen as overly centralised and interventionist. However, the overall impact of his leadership was overwhelmingly positive and he is remembered as a visionary and transformational leader who laid the foundations for modern India.
Despite his successes, Nehru also made mistakes, including his handling of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and his failure to correctly assess the threat posed by China. However, these mistakes should not diminish the overall impact of his leadership and the lasting legacy he has left on India. Nehru's vision, succinctly codified into the Preamble, and commitment to democracy, secularism, and scientific progress continue to influence the country's direction and shape its future.
Girish Linganna
Defence and Aerospace Analyst
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Sharad Pawar praised RSS after seeing how it burst fake narrative balloon of LS polls: Fadnavis
Nagpur, Jan 10: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard.
On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added.
That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said.
Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government.
He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre.
After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP.
Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it.
On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen."
He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism.
In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away."
