What were Jawaharlal Nehru's greatest achievements?
British politician Winston Churchill who later became PM during WW-II had intense hatred for India and Indians. Some of his famous statements are –
India is a beastly country with beastly religion
When millions of people were dying due to starvation during 1942 Bengal famine, Churchill said, it is their fault for breeding like rabbits. Why Gandhi is alive? He also called Gandhiji as half naked fakir.
In 1947, Churchill said India won’t last as a nation, will disintegrate into pieces. This was not just his view but he tried to achieve it thru Mountbatten.
Mountbatten, who was sent to India in March 1947 as Viceroy to preside over the transfer of power, apparently had an initial plan to split the vast country into a dozen or more (actually 13) autonomous provinces according to Channel 4 documentary.
The evidence of plan Balkan was disclosed by Lakshman Menon, grandson of V. P. Menon who served as a constitutional adviser and political reform commissioner to the last three Viceroys. Mountbatten made this plan influenced by Churchill’s vision and without discussing with any top Indian politicians like Jawaharlal Nehru of congress and Muhammad Ali Jinnah of Muslim league and Gandhiji.
This plan didn’t work because it was shown to Nehru first before Jinnah. Nehru obviously wanted to become first Indian Prime Minister of whole India while Gandhiji wanted a compromise formula where Jinnah will be the first PM if that can avoid partition. Since Nehru strong opposed the Balkanisation plan, Mountbatten asked VP Menon to make alternate plan. VP Menon then proposed ‘two nation theory’ Indian and Pakistan.
In a TV interview to Channel 4, VP Menon’s grandson Lakshman Menon said, ‘Plan Balkan was Mountbatten’s great plan to fragment and divide India to weaken it before the British left, with power being transferred to 13 provincial governments which will be formed based on ‘divide and rule’ policy where provinces are uncooperative or hostile to each other due to ethnicity, culture, past grievances or religious divisions. It was a perfect plan to decimate India. Seeing strong objection from Nehru who was staying in Simla (now Shimla) summer capital in May 1947, VP Memnon and Mountbatten realised futility of this plan which will not be accepted by congress and Muslim league. This plan was dropped and never discussed with Gandhiji and Jinnah.
According to Lakshman Menon, in a top-secret memo that Mountbatten wrote, ‘I had a distinct lunch that I ought to take advantage of my new found friendship with Nehru to ask his personal opinion of the new draft (Balkanisation plan) and Nehru strongly opposed it. VP Menon guessed it right – Nehru could not sleep at night after discussing Balkanisation plan. Just to build personal friendship with Nehru, Mountbatten disclosed the Balkanisation plan to Nehru against the advice of many senior advisers including VP Menon.
Few days later when VP Menon got urgent summon from Viceregal Lodge, where he saw Mountbatten and Lady Mountbatten is a shattered mood. VP Menon guessed the reason and suggested them, ‘would you like me to flesh out my alternate plan? Mountbatten agreed and thus two nation – Indian and Pakistan plan was made which is acceptable to both the major political parties.
These days, nearly 60 years after Nehru’s death, he is criticized by many for anything and everything. Nehru’s biggest achievement and act of patriotism will be this act where he killed the Churchill’s idea of the Balkanisation of British India at the early stage even if it was for his self-interest. India faced many challenges in last 75 years like regionalism, language, religion barriers; Naga, Mizo, Kashmiri, Khalistani insurgency and militancy; population explosion, poverty and financial bankruptcy; leftist naxalite violence; Pakistan wars and China attack etc. but still performing well after 75 years. In fact, India may clock highest economic growth of 7% plus among major economies in 2022. Current Indian PM Modi is lucky that he had to handle Boris Johnson type British PM and not Winston Churchill.
Picture source: Google
Comments
Post a Comment