With devious machinations of MK Gandhi in cahoots with Viceroy Mountbatten, the last Mughal Nehru somehow succeeded in grabbing the chair of Prime Minister which legitimately belonged to Sardar Patel. Communist then, Jayaprakash Narayan was complicit to the campaign to unseat Sardar Patel alongwith Mridula Sarabhai who ran a whisper campaign against him and both enjoyed Nehrus blessings. Years later in 1971, not only JP deeply regretted his actions against Sardar Patel but also disclosed how Rajaji too, had deeply regretted for the same. Nehrus silent encouragement of the campaign to brand Sardar Patel a ‘fascist’ was all too well known in corridors of power. After demise of Sardar, Nehru enjoyed unmitigated liberty to ransack the nation without anyone there to restrain his shenanigans. Not only Nehru himself did not attend Sardars funeral but also did his best to prevent President Dr. Rajendra Prasad attending it albeit unsuccessfully. According to Stanley Wolpert, had Sardar not supported Nehru after Gandhis assassination, Nehru would have broken down like a pack of cards. Nehrus conduct towards Sardar had been extremely petty to say the least. Nehru didn’t allow even a single portrait or memorial be erected in Delhi for Sardar Patel while plenty of them for himself and his sycophants. All his collected works were published by a non-government body Sardar Patel Society unlike for others, officially by his government.
Sardar Patels daughter Maniben Patel had handed over all her precious possessions to Gandhi Ashram at the age of 17 for the cause of War Of Freedom. As a freedom-fighter she actively participated in Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928, Namak Andolan of 1930, Bharata Chhodo Andolan of 1942, arrested and imprisoned multiple times. She led a life of acute deprivation in spite of being daughter of the then Dy. Prime Minister. After demise of Sardar Patel, Nehru and his Congress did not even once ask her if any assistance or support she required. She died completely ignored, unsung, languishing in penury and severe hardships.
Vinayak Savarkar was a personality of multi-faceted talents, as a writer, poet, playwright, orator, atheist and reformer etc. His famous book ‘1857-First War Of Independence’ rattled and roiled the illegitimate Brit-Gora Indian regime so much than they banned it and confiscated all copies in market. He founded ‘Abhinav Bharata Society’, ‘Free India Society’ and brought out several publications in support of revolutionary means to liberate the country. He was awarded two terms of life imprisonment at Andaman islands, denied even paper and pen to write as well as subjected to inhuman brutalities. He belonged to a family of patriots and freedom-fighters as his brothers too, were fighting for the same cause and imprisoned in Andamans. He was also widely admired by all his contemporary revolutionaries. In response to his appeal to join British Army to participate in WW-II with the sole intention of being trained militarily which could be leveraged to battle for independence, thousands of Hindus volunteered and joined. With that move, British Army became Hindu majority Army from Muslim majority one. That turned out to be a tremendous boon during partition otherwise exit of British intruders would not have been possible, a Muslim majority Army would have caused havoc for Hindu-s and leftover territorial integrity. He opposed ‘Bharata Chhodo Andolan’ that came a cropper in just two months and described MK Gandhi a ‘babbled compassion and forgiveness with a very narrow and immature head’. Vinayak heralded complete independence in 1900 while Gandhi in 1929, bonfires of British clothes was first staged by him in 1905 albeit copyrighted by Gandhi much later. So authentically he predicted about Pakistan, “Till a nation based on religious fanaticism exists beside India she won’t ever be able to live in peace”.
As Vinayak was a fierce critique of Congress, Nehrus Government falsely implicated him in Gandhi assassination case albeit exonerated by courts honourably. Even accuser turned approver affirmed, they were forced to tell lies in court. Dr. Ambedkar too, had strongly opposed his prosecution. Ailing Savarkar in his mid-sixties who had been in British-Indian prison for 26 years was arrested in 1948 and released after a year after being declared ‘not guilty’. His bodyguard was brutally totured like British used to do to secure criminal implication. As ‘democratic’ and ‘cultured’ Nehru attempted to destroy all his opponents including Vinayak Savarkar, his home was attacked by criminal elements, his house ransacked and brother mortally wounded yet the last Mughal did not provide even a semblance of protection. He was arrested again later for delivering pro-Hindu speeches dubbed communal. And so much Nehruvian love for the democratic ideal of ‘freedom of speech’ !! Nehru even refused to share stage with him in the ceremony held to commemorate centenary of first War Of Freedom-1857. When he expired on Feb. 26, 1966, not a single Minister or Congress member attended his funeral or spoke even a single word as tribute. Parliament turned down proposal to pay homage to his memory. It was only after Nehrus demise that PM Shastri could sanction monthly pension to Vinayak. In 1970, a postal stamp was issued in his honour. Blue plaque on India House in London fixed by Historic Building and Monuments Commission of England reads, “Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 1883-1966 Indian patriot and philosopher lived here.” Port Blair Airport at Andaman & Nicobar was named, ‘Veer Savarkar International Airport’ in 2003 and his portrait installed in Central Hall of Parliament thereafter.
Dr. Ambedkar was a highly accomplished personality so much so that he elicited pangs of jealousy and inferiority complex for the last Mughal. Dr. Ambedkar deserved to be Prime Minister of Bharata after Sardar Patel albeit destiny willed otherwise. However Nehru deliberately either ignored him for important ministries or awarded insignificant portfolios like Law etc. He was never included in any Cabinet Committee and Nehru ensured his defeat in elections by personally campaigning against him. He futilely appealed to Nehru to financially support publication of his book ‘The Buddha And His Dhamma’ as he could not afford with his frugal means. The last Mughal not only delivered a sarcastic advice but also excluded him from Buddha Jayanti celebrations too. So long as Nehru was alive, he did not allow any memorial for Dr. Ambedkar as for Sardar Patel.
Dr. SP Mukherjee was son of legendary Ashutosh Mukherjee, famous as ‘Tiger Of Bengal’, highly accomplished and illustrious personality who prevented Bengal and Kashmir from going to Pakistan. His performance as Nehrus Industries Minister was outstanding in spite of having serious differences on several issues viz. Article 370, separate flag for J&K etc. On his protest march, he was arrested and lodged in a dilapidated structure under a planned conspiracy of allowing him to enter into J&K albeit without exit as discovered later by AB Vajpayee who had accompanied him as a journalist. He was held in detention for 42 days, his health worsened, then administered Penicillin injections knowing very well he was allergic to the antibiotic and assassinated forthwith on June 23, 1953. Several demands of enquiry from all prominent luminaries were rudely dismissed by Nehru only to be accused of his murder by his mother Ms. Jogmaya Devi. Frustrated to the core, she cursed Nehru to face consequences in the other world. Any enquiry having potential of damaging Nehrus ‘shining glory’ was either denied, scuttled midway or final reports hidden somewhere like Henderson-Brooks Report on China Debacle-1962. In one of his letters SPM had accused Nehru of being abusive and vituperative in his language for him, very unfortunate indeed coming from a Prime Minister.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was another outstanding personality whom Nehru did his best to sideline and scuttle his chances of being installed as the first President of Bharata. Nehru even lied to all that they all had agreed to elect C. Rajagopalachari as the first President ! Nehru ran a campaign to prevent him from attaining second term, even called him a ‘chair-seeker’ ! Dr. Rajendra Prasad was re-elected by the dint of his immense personality which the liliputian in Nehru sorely lacked. Nehru had protested against his participation in Somnatha Mandira affairs, severely restricted his official foreign travels. While Dr. Prasad was sick yet alive, Nehru asked LB Shastri to locate a funeral ground as far as possible from Gandhis Rajghat !! As ex-President he spent his last years in Patna engulfed in miseries and deprivations. Nehru declined to attend his last rites, advised President Dr. Radhakrishnan to avoid it which he turned down firmly.
Gen. Thimayya was a brave General who deployed tanks at Zojilla Pass at the height of 12,000 feet and decimated enemy positions. He was a straight talking, honest and conscientious veteran who had to quit as COAS due to imprudent conduct of Defence Minister Krshna Menon and repeated rejections of his plans to modernise armed forces. Nehru persuaded him to withdraw his resignation on solemn assurances to positively look into grave issues raised by him. However Nehru later lampooned his resignation and derided the great Officer whom Nehru in fact feared for his position as Prime Minister.
In spite of his solemn assurance to Sardar Patel not to support JB Kripalani for Congress Presidentship, Nehru unilaterally announced his name for the office. Sardar Patel was so disgusted at Nehruvian duplicity that he commented, “I have been shaken to bones. How low he has stooped.” Patel supported PD Tandon, a simple freedom-fighter who opposed partition tooth and nail, an upright man who could not be hustled into pre-meditated positions or decisions, an attribute that the last Mughal abhorred. Nehru launched the campaign to brand him communal, conservative, Hindu-revivalist etc., invectives that were later institutionalised over decades. Tandon was even willing to suffer under British rule for some more time than accepting partition and called upon to fight British and Muslim League simultaneously. Nehru threatened to resign if Tandon won which he did over Kripalani by a huge margin yet power-famished Nehru didn’t resign. After demise of Patel, Nehru exerted immense pressure and Tandon had to finally quit. Nehru himself took over Congress Presidentship, continued so for three years in violation of Party Constitution. Congress veteran DP Mishra resigned in protest and dubbed it ‘beginning of the murder of democracy in the country.’
Had it not been for the vehement protest by Gopinath Bordoloi supported by Assamese people, Assam unit of Congress and even MK Gandhi, Muslim League would have captured Assam and NE States for East Pakistan. He exposed Copeland Plan of granting autonomy to entire North-east under the British Crown as a self-governing colony. As first CM of post-independence Assam, he actively rehabilitated Hindu migrants from East Pakistan, established several institutions in Assam and authored several books while in jail. Nehru denied him well-deserved honour of Bharata Ratna only because he supported accession of Assam into Bharatiya Union which was finally done in 1999 by the Vajpayee Government.
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