132 years since his birth, Nehru still remains a pertinent, contentious, and frequently mentioned figure in Indian politics. Nehru's legacy is often seen in black or white and rarely gray. He frequently receives an equal amount of blandishments and brickbats from his ardent supporters and staunch detractors respectively.
So how did Nehru’s journey begin?
What were his contributions to the freedom struggle
and as India’s first Prime Minister?
Young Jawaharlal Motilal Nehru led a
privileged life in India. He received early education from his myriad English
tutors and governesses. He proceeded to receive an education in England—at
Harrow School, then at Trinity College, Cambridge, finally he trained to become
a barrister at the Inner Temple, London.
Upon returning to India in 1912, he joined his
father Motilal’s successful practice, but Nehru was both an unenthusiastic and unsuccessful
lawyer. Like most privileged men in their mid-twenties, his life lacked drive
and focus.
However, a meeting with Gandhi in 1916 and the
success Gandhi had in making the freedom struggle a people’s movement in 1917 gave
Nehru a sense of purpose.
Nehru wrote “Gandhi’s adventures
and victory in Champaran, on behalf of the tenants of the planters, filled us
with enthusiasm. We saw that he was prepared to apply his methods in India
also, and they promised success.”
By 1919, Nehru joined the Indian National Congress
(INC) the moderate wing of the Indian Freedom struggle which was demanding greater autonomy from the British.
Nehru's first major national involvement was when
the non-cooperation movement was launched in 1920,
which he led in Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested on charges of anti-national
activities in 1921
and released a few months later.
In 1923, he became the general secretary of the INC
for two years and again held the post for two years since 1927. In 1928,
he was elected president of the INC.
When the British rejected demands for Dominion
status in 1929, Nehru was among the first major freedom activists to demand
complete independence for India.
By 1930,
he took part in Gandhi’s civil disobedience moment against the salt tax
imposed by the British for which he was imprisoned for
two years. This elevated Nehru to the leadership ranks of the INC and also caused
Gandhi to see him as his successor.
In 1937, Nehru had his first experience in running
electoral campaigns. The INC won a clear majority
in 5 out of 11 provinces and formed governments
in 7 provinces.
By 1940, Nehru participated in the individual
civil disobedience campaign launched by Gandhi and
was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.
During the 1920s and 1945, Nehru was repeatedly
imprisoned by the British for civil disobedience, he spent over nine
years in jail.
By 1942, Gandhi designated Nehru his political heir
in the INC
As India’s freedom struggle was
approaching its culmination, Gandhi made his intentions clear that INC should
be dissolved. Gandhi felt the objective of the INC was to liberate
India from foreign rule; once that goal was accomplished, the organization had
no existential purpose.
Gandhi had proposed that all those leaders
who wanted to serve the public in electoral politics should form their own
political parties and contest elections. He rightly felt that this would have
been democracy in the real sense.
It is interesting to consider the possible
outcomes of such an idea.
Perhaps Nehru would have been rejected
by the people, which probably would have been the end of his political journey
of the dynasty. Perhaps Sardar Patel would have been India’s first Prime
Minister. Perhaps a newer relatively unknown face would have emerged as the
nation’s leader following a fractured mandate.
However, Nehru and others in the INC
knew that the INC had easy brand recognition such that they could ride the wave
of goodwill earned by the party during the freedom struggle. Challengers could
implicitly be branded as a traitor for challenging India’s founding fathers
of free India. Hence, Gandhi’s advice was conveniently ignored and the INC prevailed.
However, Gandhi’s advice was followed in
another matter. In early 1946 when the INC had to elect a new president who would become the first prime minister of
independent India. Sardar Patel who was known for efficiency and his abilities
and fortitude won the popular vote. Twelve out of 19 Pradesh committees were nominated while none nominated Nehru.
However, upon Gandhi's insistence,
Patel agrees to step aside in favor of Nehru clearing the path for Nehru to
become India's first Prime Minister.
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