Nehru’s Seven Big Blunders

BY: RANBIR MANHAS PUBLISHED ON APRIL 15, 2018

It’s not that this first Prime minister of Independent India did not do anything for the country except few blunders; his sacrifices for the country during Indian Freedom Struggle are also innumerable. As Prime minister also his contribution in the development of new India cannot be ignored. Only fools can forget the fact that all initial power, irrigation and industrial projects have been his contribution for the nation. Nehru also set up agriculture universities, technical colleges and medical colleges in the country. Even Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are Nehru’s precious gifts for the country. Unfortunately however, the following political blunders that he committed either as a leader or Prime minister fall heavy on his contributions, is also an unforgettable fact. Even then Nehru carries a bad name for having the following historical blunders to his discredit:

1. Mahatma Gandhi had advised Nehru to wind up Congress as a political party after attaining Independence but Nehru declined with the result that Gandhi’s murder, his sacrifices and his name continue to be misused by fake Gandhis even after seventy years of his death.
2. Subhash Chander Bose (Congress president 1938-1939) had advised Nehru to have limited democracy for first 20 years so as to give enough time for Indian voters to learn the intricacies of the new system of which they had no knowledge but he declined with the result that people even today vote in the name of religion, caste, sub-caste and region and get driven by convicts like Lalu Prasad and others of the ilk.
3. Sardar Patel had advised Nehru not to take Kashmir issue in UNO, but he declined with the result that Kashmir has become a permanent seeping wound for India.
4. Dr. Ambedkar had advised Nehru to keep option of Dalit reservation for limited period of 10 years, but he declined with the result that whereas rich within the Dalits became richer the poor in the community became poorer.
5. His cabinet had advised Nehru to make Common Civil Code Instead of making Hindu code bill, but he declined with the result that Muslims still want to be governed by Islamic law instead of the law of the land.
6. In the year 1960, UNO seat was offered to India, but Nehru declined the offer and surrendered it in China’s favour with the result that whiles China became Veto Power decades ago India is still hankering after its basic membership.
7. Nehru was advised by prominent economists of his time Gopal Krishan Gokhle and Bhim Rao Ambedkar to make stringent law for effective control on population growth, but he took a lenient view of this valuable advice and the result is our fast depleting resources.

Certainly Nehru may not have done these blunders deliberately, but when his party understood the futility of his decisions it should have tried to abandon the chosen wrong path, but it did not and the results are for anybody to see. Congress not only spoiled itself but also damaged country’s social fabric, economics, Kashmir issue besides depriving UN seat a fact which unfortunately neither Rahul Gandhi nor his party will ever realize!