NEHRU AND SIR STAFFORD CRIPPS 
INDIRA GANDHI
People –educated people in India still love to side with the Second Bahadur Shah and the mutinous sepoys, as they think that they might be the harbingers of freedom from the tyranny of the British. If Sepoy mutinies were successful and Bahadur Shah would have been the Emperor of Hindusthan –people in general had to suffer from an unthinkable anarchy.
Notions and natural tendencies for customary thoughts die hard. Even it takes centuries to be replaced with the truths.
I’m telling all this as I see the criminal stupidities of a political party named Indian National Congress which has always put itself in the wrong footings during critical historical moments of this hapless country. India would not have been partitioned if the Congress had accepted the proposal of Sir Stafford Cripps as advised and insisted on by Sri Aurobindo.
In 1957 Pakistan was in doldrums and at the verge of disintegration. At that time a feeler was sent to Nehru by Pakistan for some sort of overall arrangement which would undo the stark partition of 1947 but they were altogether rejected. Afterward again when Ayub Khan who had not yet superseded Iskander Mirza as President, made an unexpected visit to Delhi and proposed joint defence for India and Pakistan. As per Amal Kiran (K.D. Sethna)-“Here was the clearest sign of Pakistan’s insufficiency and her call for a fresh start pointing towards ultimate reunion……But again the Indian Government failed to cooperate. It replied to Ayub in effect ‘Joint defence against whom?’ India in that period was doing ‘bhai, Bahai’ to Red China and looking upon Soviet Russia as a close ally. If Soviet Russia was our dearest friend and red China our beloved brother, we could militarily be in no danger at all. What other power was there to pose a military threat to us?” [Our Light and Delight by Amal Kiran-page 115 to124]
The subsequent events are now a history to every Indian. The situation is such that no nation now stands as a strategic friend to India. Now India’s relations with her northern neighbours are far from good. If her relation with China is now ‘comfortable’ it’s because of her stance as an underdog. India has to buy peace with China as she can not afford to assert her say before China. Even she appears to have no courage to strongly condemn that China’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh will be a bearing on mutual relationship. And surprisingly Pakistan has very good relations with all of them including China. There is no way to show Nehru the present situation vis-a-vis Pakistan and China. Nehru did an immoral and politically blundering move to support China for her occupation of Tibet. I’m coming back to Nehru after concentrating a little about the Congress under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. We claim to be a growing superpower. But in reality Indian Government fails to be assertive against the wrong doings of Myanmar, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and even the tiny Bangladesh. India wants to be a permanent member in the Security Council of the UN. But in spite of a possibility Sashi Tharoor-India’s nominee could not won. It was because of China’s influence over George Bush.India holds no courage and influence in matters of any lapse in human rights, suppression of fight for freedom and in any serious international matter. She would never find words to utter against China even if there was genocide of Tibetans in Lhasa or elsewhere in Tibet. India would remain silent if Aung San Suu Ski were further tortured by the military junta of Myanmar.
Coming back to Nehru. He would not be forgiven in the pages of history even it takes a thousand years. He will be termed as most indecisive (his dillydallying in sending troops to Goa), his lack of courage to face a challenge (he died of heart attack after Chinese aggression), his lack of political wisdom (about China), his romantic ideas about politics and for his Himalayan blunder in putting the Kashmir issue in the UN and his refusal to act on Ayub’s feelers.
But one may forgive him for giving birth to a daughter who unlike her father was courageous and capable of taking decisions singlehandedly. She might be criticized for hundreds of her follies but so far her guts and courage is concerned one must say to her in the words of Mathew Arnold “Thou art free”. His father divided India. She divided Pakistan.
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