Page 76 - EW August 2021

Interview

“I believe Nehru’s greatest failure was to distorted. Let me explain why Nehru
was chosen free India’s first prime
ignore primary education...” minister.
From the 1930s, Nehru was
regarded as next to Gandhi in
minent historian and one of popularity. When the 1937 elections
India’s most respected public were held under the Government of
Eintellectuals, Dr. Ramach- India Act, 1935 and when Congress
andra Guha is the deeply knowl- was swept to power in seven out of
edgeable biographer of Mahatma nine states, it was largely because of
Gandhi on whom he has written two Nehru’s campaigning. He was the
heavily researched and eminently Bradman of the Congress. Patel was
readable biographies — Gandhi a backroom, brilliant organiser and
Before India (2013), and its sequel strategist but with no charisma or
Gandhi: Years that Changed the appeal. Moreover, Gandhi chose Ne-
World 1914-48 (2018). Prior to that, hru as the successor because he was
he wrote the most authoritative and the least parochial of the younger
readable history of post-indepen- generation of Congressmen. Patel
dence India titled India after Gandhi was seen as a Gujarati Hindu. Raja-
(2007). Excerpts from an interview gopalachari a Tamil Brahmin. Nehru
with Dilip Thakore: was trusted by Muslims, admired in
south India and totally committed to
gender equality, a north Indian who
After independence, Mahatma Gandhi’s could reach people in the South. So
teachings and vision of a free, indepen- Gandhi said he should be the leader
dent India were quickly forgotten... of the first independent government
First of all, I want to say that Gandhi of India.
fascinates me as a historian and a ment, elimination of poverty, dignity In 1946, when the question of the
biographer. I am not a Gandhian or of labour in mind. presidency came up, the CWC voted
an unqualified admirer of Gandhi. I These four ideals are still impor- for Patel. If the votes of the AICC had
believe Gandhi is significant for the tant, and we must honour them. Of been taken, of 1,200 people, at least
movements he led, for the debates he the four, I would say, the one that is 800 would have voted for Nehru.
initiated and for his moral courage. most under threat today is Hindu- If the vote of the entire Congress
But he was not always right. For Muslim harmony. Majoritarianism membership had been taken, Nehru
example, on the question of caste, has endangered Gandhi’s vision of would have won 90 percent. The
Ambedkar was more perceptive India. But there are other challenges CWC vote was not democratic at all.
than him. On the question of gender such as environmental degradation, That was a vote of secretaries loyal to
equality, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay abusive language on social media Patel. It is Patel’s greatness that he
was arguably more forward than that Gandhi would have deplored. recognised this. Patel knew that Ne-
him. On the question of nationalism hru was more popular, and he loyally
and internationalism, Tagore had You are also an admirer of Jawaharlal served under him for 3.5 years.
better insights than Gandhi. Nehru, independent India’s first prime Now coming to Nehru himself,
As to your question — what of minister. But in recent years there’s been he had enormous achievements and
Gandhi remains today, I would like a reassessment of Nehru. In the critical enormous failures. Contrary to those
to invoke an image used by Gandhi 1946 AICC election for presidency of the who think that the Soviet model of
in 1922, around the time of the non- Congress which would determine the economics was his greatest failure,
cooperation movement. He said, first prime minister of independent India, I believe his greatest failure — and
when swaraj comes, it should be a Nehru didn’t get a single vote which this is relevant to your magazine —
sturdy bed with four robust pillars — went overwhelmingly in favour of Sardar was to ignore primary education.
non-violence, Hindu-Muslim harmo- Patel. Yet Nehru persuaded Gandhiji to He didn’t recognise that in a true
ny, abolition of untouchability and request Patel to withdraw his nomina- democracy the first priority should
the promotion of khadi. By these, tion. Moreover, after independence Nehru be to remove illiteracy.
he meant that in free India, Indians imposed the inorganic Soviet-inspired Nehru’s second failure was that
must settle their debates non-vio- socialist economic development model on as long as Patel was with him, he
lently. Next, Hindu-Muslim harmony the nation which has led India to socio- was an excellent prime minister. But
was crucial to Gandhi’s vision of economic ruin. What’s your comment? when Patel died in 1950, and C. Raja-
India. The third pillar: abolition of These are extreme statements. Both gopalachari left the Union cabinet to
untouchability including gender of them. In fact, the first has no ba- become the chief minister of Madras,
discrimination because Gandhi was sis. It was not an AICC meeting, but Nehru didn’t have equals with him in
also committed to emancipation of a meeting of the Congress Working government and he became some-
women. And with the promotion of Committee. This is a very important what distant and arrogant and began
khadi, he had generation of employ- issue that Whatsapp University has to see himself as indispensable.

76 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2021