Dynastocrats and sycophants of the Indian National Congress are invariably quick to remind ardent critiques of the last Mughal Nehru that present day democracy happens to be entirely a Nehruvian legend, that we all are beholden to him for enjoying the privilege of criticising him without fear of being persecuted or prosecuted !! They are indeed ignorant of the fact that such a bundle of lies can be propagated only in a country with a rich ancient legacy of freedom of expression, republicanism that Nehru and his supine cohorts could not suppress even with their strong-arm methods. However for the purpose of straightening out records, this article shall focus of rooting of democracy beginning with birth of Congress.
Congress won elections held in 1937 i.e. during British era of occupation of Bharata, constituted ministries in several States. Last pre-independence election was held in 1946 and electoral bodies constituted thereafter. Constitution was framed under the stewardship of Dr. Ambedkar and universal adult franchise introduced by the Constituent Assembly headed by Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Nehrus own election as Congress President in 1946 and as Prime Minister in 1947 was highly undemocratic, unconstitutional and fraudulent. Yet Nehruites atrociously crediting him to have gifted democracy to the nation happens to be not only a travesty of truth but also gross insult of the nation. Had he been a true democrat, Nehru would have assiduously exerted himself to groom and nurture a strong opposition who could contribute to strengthening roots of democracy in the newly liberated nation coming to terms with centuries long trauma of brutal slavery. Instead Nehru didn’t leave a stone unturned to derogate, demoralise and uproot fledgling opposition to maintain his hegemony as well as dynastocracy through his family.As a matter of fact, Nehru was a stone-pelter throwing stones at all pillars of nations democracy with a sinister agenda to boot.
After retiring as Congress President in 1929, Motilal Nehru lobbied intensely for his so-called son Jawaharlal Nehru to succeed him ignoring several other senior and meritorious leaders. S. Nijalingappa wrote in his ‘My Life And Politics’, Nehru lobbied with President Radhakrishnan to have his so-called sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit appointed as Vice-President even while his so-called daughter Indira Gandhi was the Congress President then !! President snubbed him which led to an angry outburst of Nehru as she was promised of the position as ‘brotherly’ gift from Nehru !! Much to the astonishment of all and outrage of Rajaji, Nehru appointed his so-called daughter Indira Gandhi, a novice in politics as Congress President in 1959 and justified it so pompously, “I am proud of Indira Gandhi as my daughter, my comrade and now as my leader. It is superfluous for me to say that I love her. I am proud of her integrity and truthfulness.” By calling her a ‘comrade’, Nehru confirmed, he was an ardent communist. When GB Pant cast doubt on her health, Nehru retorted, she was healthier than both of them !! The rabbit of Kamaraj Plan was suddenly pulled up by ears only to ease out old stalwarts from the Cabinet, particularly Morarji Desai to pave the way for Indira Gandhi to succeed him as Prime Minister whom he had been grooming for long. According to MO Mathai, Vajaya Lakshmi Pandit was quite angry at being sidelined by her brother when Indira Gandhi started emerging as his successor.
Dynastocracy promoted by the last Mughal Nehru turned out to be so malignant, so cancerous that the ‘Dynasty-virus’ infected all political parties, they all have turned feudalistic with ‘Mai-Baap’ political ethos. In this way, Nehru had grievously hurt fledgling Bharatiya democracy post-1947. World record of sorts was created by Mulayam Singh Yadava, accused in multiple criminal cases going by media reports, who appointed 20 members of his family in various official positions at taxpayers expense. Nehrus ‘democratic’ acumen caused a new term ‘HMPs’ i.e. Hereditory MPs being coined liberally by Patrick French in his book ‘India : A Potrait’ as 28% MPs were in fact HMPs. This reprehensible trend was unleashed by the one who has been incessantly eulogised as ‘champion of democracy’. Dynastocracy attained its nadir when a new species of ‘dynastocrat-intellectuals’ were raised to defend dynasties at every available forum on the naked ground that all members of dynasty have to go through the electoral process. Nothing can be more sinister than this as it has deeply vitiated overall thinking of masses and those questioning dynasties on any count find themselves in dock. All dynastic progenies are largely focused on encashing legacies bequeathed by their elders without toiling and sweating by brows on Ground Zero.
Political dynastocracy is as malicious as reservation as both lead to mediocrity, decimation of meritocracy, degradation in quality of governance and nation drifting downhill. Institutionalised corruption, middlemanship in all deals, treachery etc. constitute the menace that Nehruvian dynastocracy gifted to the nation. George Washington, first President of USA and regarded as ‘Father Of The America’ was elected almost unopposed in 1789, quit Presidency after two terms in 1797 in spite of being under pressure to continue with no opposition only because he did not want to seed the culture of indispensability. Even Thomas Jefferson, third President declined third term in spite of considerable pressure to continue, in spite of his brilliant performance in drafting Declaration Of Independence in 1776, doubling US territory, purchase of Louisiana etc. Interestingly, 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution limiting Presidential tenure to two terms was enacted only in 1947 after four terms of President Franklin Roosevelt. If the last Mughal really had been a democrat, he would have inserted an Article into the Constitution on US pattern to limit to two terms for a Prime Minister to serve the nation. Quite ironically, Nehrus Constitution copied plethora of Articles from several countries except 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution as the plan to establish an Indian royal dynasty on the pattern of the British Crown was conceived by Motilal Nehru. And nation suffered serial ignominy and humiliation throughout his tenure of 17 long years.
After demise of Sardar Patel, the last Mughal did not appoint anyone as Dy. Prime Minister to take charge of governance in his absence due to his frequent and frivolous foreign trips at nations expense. Those were all luxurious sight-seeing overseas trips while nation starved for basic necessities. When the question of ‘After Nehru who ?’ began popping up , Nehru didn’t care to scotch those wild talks by declaring, it was entirely partys prerogative to name his successor in a democratic nation. He didn’t because he didn’t want because he was grooming his so-called daughter to succeed him though she didn’t possess even an iota of qualification for the august office of leadership of Bharata.
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