Nehruji's Vilification on his Kashmir Policy: Lalit k kaul

 

Nehruji's Vilification on his Kashmir Policy

                                                                                      Lalit K Kaul

How history can be distorted to earn not only brownie points from prospective voters, but also to project oneself and/ or one’s outfit as the only patriotic one; may be easily learnt from our “Netas” and politicians alike belonging to all political outfits- both regional and national. The abysmal depths of degeneration that our political system has strived to achieve is/has been evident from the fact that even those who led the Indian Independence Struggle from the front haven’t been spared of the ignominy of being defaced by those extant politicians and leaders who don’t measure up to the dust of their feet.

Cultural Degeneration:

In our country it’s quite ubiquitous to see the most uninformed/incapable ones masquerading as the Critics with absolute knowledge about everything and anything that concerns our country. The language they employ in their critiques against their targets is decorated with choicest invectives. Be it Sri M K Gandhi, Sri J L Nehru, Sri V D Savarkar and such others who are known to have dedicated their lives to the service of our country have been and continue to be (with a defeaning pitch) the target of such demeaning expressions by those who are known to be depraved in their public life.

This despicable culture started in the beginning years of 80s decade and has flourished in proportion to the rate of degeneration of political discourse and it’s content  and hence political system.

Nehruji spent nearly three years in solitude in Ahmednagar fort jail and brought out “Discovery of India”; Savarkarji spent more than ten years in Kalapani jail- Andaman Cellular jail from 1911 to 1921 and during the period conceptualized his philosophy of Hindutva which is feared by today’s Jihadis; and Gandhiji, starting Jan 10, 1908 in South Africa to August 09, 1942 in India was imprisoned 13 times and what all he did takes volumes to elaborate. Imagine depraved politicians (“Netas” and their followers) of today and yesteryears in post Nehru era abusing and demeaning such historical personalities!

The Created Nehru-Patel Schism:

The much self-publicized followers of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Sri M K Gandhi have done irreparable disservice to their Value based politics by misleading “educated” uninformed and “uneducated" by fabricating difference of opinion between Nehruji and Patel Sahab on the very intricate issue of Kashmir integrating with India. Dwarka Nath Kachroo letters (compilation of exchange of letters between Nehruji and Patel Sahab) explode this myth of difference of opinion, as reproduced for ready reference:

“I (am not) aware of any difference between you and me on matters of policy relating to Kashmir. Still, it is most unfortunate that persons down below should think that there is gulf between us,” Sardar Patel wrote to Nehru in 1947.

 And, on the complex issue of integration of such Princely States who would have been like bed sores on the body of India if anyone of them refused to accede to it, Nehruji had warned Heads of such States that their kingdoms would be treated like enemy territories in case of their refusal to integrate with India. Patel Sahab took upon the task because the Heads of such Princely States felt more comfortable with him and also trusted him when it came to negotiations on the subject. However, seeing the inevitability of the upcoming situation, all 551 Princely States readily acceded to India. The co-ordination between the two was such that task was accomplished easily and in that accomplishment Nehruji wielded stick and Patel Sahab dangled carrot [1].

What remained were Princely States of J&K, Junagarh and Hyderabad. This article is restricted to the Princely State of J&K insofar as its merger with India was concerned.

Patel Sahab’s thinking on Kashmir:  

In the Lok Sabha session, February 2018, in the course of a strong attack on the Congress party and its leadership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Lok Sabha: “Had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been India’s first Prime Minister, a part of my Kashmir would not have been with Pakistan today.”  How much of truth is in the statement of the Hon'ble PM of India, an attempt is made in the following lines to decipher that.

It is well documented in history,[1], that Kashmir wasn't his priority and in fact he was willing to handover Kashmir to Pakistan in exchange for Hyderabad and Junagarh.  

“[Sardar Patel was content to “leave the decision to the Ruler [and] if the Ruler felt his and his state’s interest lay in accession to Pakistan, he would not stand in his way..... Moreover, as Menon confessed, “our hands were already full and, if truth be told, I for one had simply no time to think of Kashmir.” In November 1947, Sardar Patel (in the presence of Nehru) virtually offered to swap Kashmir for Hyderabad.”]

“......Mountbatten had told Maharaja Hari Singh “that if Kashmir joined Pakistan this would not be regarded as unfriendly by the Government of India”. According to VP Menon, Mountbatten said to Hari Singh “that he had a firm assurance on this from Sardar Patel himself”. We should note that Mountbatten was quoting Vallabhbhai and not Nehru. Kashmir, the beautiful land of his forebears, was an apple that Jawaharlal did not want to lose.” [2]

“I will tell you a very fascinating story,” Soz said. “When our army landed in Srinagar, the same afternoon Mountbatten went to Lahore. There was a dinner with Governor of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, and four Pakistan ministers. Mountbatten said, I have brought a message from the strongman of India, Sardar Patel. Take Kashmir and forget Hyderabad-Deccan, it’s not even connected with you.” “But as Sardar Shaukat Hayat Khan writes in his book,” Soz said, “Liaquat Ali neither understood history, nor geography.” So, he did not accept the offer. – Professor Saifuddin Soz of Kashmir

If anybody is interested in knowing how this team comprising Nehruji, Sri V P Menon, Sri Dwarka Nath Kachroo and Louis Mountbatten ensured that J& K unifies with India, they may read [3].

What made Nehruji refer J&K to the UNSC? [1]

[“Although the raiders were losing ground on the military front, Nehru was extremely dissatisfied with the “defensive and apologetic" Indian military response to what he described as “not merely a frontier raid but a regular war, on a limited scale, with the latest weapons being used on the part of the invaders". He therefore advocated military strikes on the invaders' bases and lines of communication in the Frontier Province and West Punjab in Pakistan. That increased the risk of an all out war with Pakistan, yet Nehru was willing to take the risk since” its avoidance", he argued,” had increased our own peril and not brought peace any nearer.” In response Mountbatten strived hard to avoid a war between the two dominions, suggesting the United Nations might help negotiate a settlement. Nehru was at first “adamantly opposed” and resisted Mountbatten's attempts to involve the United Nations before expelling the raiders. But Mountbatten persuaded him to reconsider, pointing out that “India had a cast-iron case. He was convinced that the UN would promptly direct Pakistan to withdraw the raiders"

As Nehru later explained, he agreed to go to the United Nations “primarily to avoid the extension of war elsewhere, i.e, its becoming an all- out war between India and Pakistan. We thought that would be a dangerous development, bad for India and Pakistan.” ….. Referring the Kashmir issue to the United Nations proved to be Nehru’s biggest blunder. It was no longer just Jinnah and Pakistan-backed raiders that India had to face, but the diplomatic might of the British and later the Americans, who wholeheartedly backed Pakistan.”]

Those who follow geo-political developments would know why British and Americans supported Pakistan; and those who know the reasons why West Pakistan was created not because Jinnah and his Muslim League wanted it, but that its creation suited geo-political objects of the US and other Western powers.

Conclusion:

For all the Criticism of Nehruji"s Kashmir policy – bordering character assassination- the fact remains that he showed the courage and conviction to arrest Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah- the tallest leader of Kashmiri Muslims- when he sought support for independent Kashmir from the US and UK in the UN; Sheikh had transgressed his jurisdiction and was guilty of anti- Indian stance; he was arrested at a time when India was a nascent Nation State struggling to ensure its existence, because India's integrity couldn't be compromised.

But, the self professed patriots and all knowers and all doers haven't shown the political will to put behind the bars those politicians who are engaged in Jinnah politics; have ensured lifetime bail for VVIP and VIP criminals who are alleged to have fleeced our country`s resources; in this 21^st century Bharat. That a politician alleged to have ultra-left leanings signs a pact with CCP of China while the then PM looks on like a bodyguard has gone unchallenged in a State that's totally compromised.

The Land Jihad carried out by Waqf Boards as facilitated by Waqf Board Act, 2013 passed by the UPA (Cong) government is being ignored by these self professed patriots of “Bharat Mata" leaving it to ordinary citizens to fight it out in the SC of India. Similarly, Churches are in the business of getting a power of attorney in Church's name to grab lands. For Heaven's sake! Can a power of attorney be given to an organization!! Yet the “patriots" are looking the other way.

Three Agri laws are abrogated without calling Parliament into session because Captain Amrainder Singh dangled a carrot: repeal the laws and fight to win Punjab elections as senior partner! I saluted Captain who had thoroughly exposed these “patriots"; Captain had opposed the laws from their very inception.

The Punch Line:

Whatever blunders (according to today's depraved Netas and their followers) the historical personalities like Nehruji, Patel Sahab, Gandhiji, C R Das, S C Bose, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and numerous others of their ilk may have committed yet it needs a personality of much higher level to do so. None of the today's “Netas”, their followers including the self declared intellectuals and political analysts who strive hard to improve TRP for their channels, etc. are qualified to do so. It needs to be ingrained in our minds that whatever they did, they had no personal axe to grind.

[1] Demystifying Kashmir by Navneet Behera

[2] Rajmohan Gandhi's Book on Kashmir, 1991

[3] The Birth of  a Tragedy 1947 by Alastair Lamb