“Indo-US Civil Nuclear Cooperation and Burma: Beyond Technicalities” (Part-II)

Mistake of Analyzing Nehru as a Communist, Socialist and Emergence of NAM:

The mistake of analyzing India’s First Prime Minister – Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru as an Asian leader more inclined towards communism or socialism by political analyst and some historians had been more related with the cold war politics after Second World War. The view found suitable ground to grow fast, when Mr. Nehru himself started a diplomatic card by the name - Non-Alignment Movement in September 1961 after Bandung Conference in 1955 as a bulwark against two blocs forging alliance with China (However, China betrayed him by attacking India in 1962, which led early death of Nehru. China has a long history of betraying India, the recent one happened in NSG meeting at Vienna on civil nuclear deal, and Burmese military Junta is trusting China as a saviour making nation colony of China for only remaining in power). Mr. Nehru as political leader and trained by one of the World’s celebrated & matured political figure – Mahatma Gandhi was not a common political personality and can’t compromise for a secondary role in history. He knew that, by siding with any of the blocs will only give him a secondary sidelined role in world politics for which he was not made of. He was born leader like – light of non-violence in Asia - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who can’t accept succumbing to any pressure, which Burmese military council wants to impose on her and did great disservice to the nation by keeping her aloof from Burmese people against UN and ASEAN resolutions and international law.

Burmese Junta’s Follies:

I’m sometimes surprised that, how can Burmese military General’s who claims to be a nationalist can’t understand the “role of individual in history” (please visit the post entitled: “The Role of the Individual in History and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi” in two parts, published at burmareview.wordpress.com on 5^th & 10^th January 2007) and weight of Daw Aung San Suu kyi in world politics. As a student of history and international relations, I could visualize the historical scene; the moment, She is released and given freedom to interact with her people, Burma will be not only in canter stage of Asian Politics, but it will attain important place in UN deliberations and in world problems. Otherwise, who cares for any Mr. General coming from a small nation of Asia, however, some exceptions exist like Japan (it is a hard historical reality, without my intention to hurting any small nations of the world, one can see that seldom many small nations of Africa or Central America etc. are remembered by world despite having large network of big media organizations and news agencies)?

Nehru: A leader of Common Faith of Indo-US Democratic Ethos:

Political analyst, scholars also took cue analyzing Mr. Nehru as a communist or socialist from his autobiography first published in 1936, when he writes that, “I had long been drawn to socialism and communism, and Russia had appealed to me.” (Please take note that, he didn’t referred in his first thought as a Soviet Union but as a “Russia”, however, the Bolsheviks had been in power there) (1) Further it got strengthened, when he writes in other chapter of his autobiography that, “As between fascism and communism my sympathies are entirely with communism,” (2) however, he indicated briefly in the same paragraph that, his philosophy rests in liberal democratic traditions of “COMMON FAITH” of India-United States democratic ethos as he writes, “As these pages will show, I am very far from being a communist…I have been too much influenced by the humanist liberal tradition to get out of it completely,” (3) but the conclusion of the paragraph left again open towards communism giving strength to the view analyzing him as a communist, that, “But still I incline more and more towards a communist philosophy.” (4) The great leader like – Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru knew well that, it is better to left it open, as then contemporary politics of the world required that, to lead nations of Africa and Asia bewildered and scared between the rivalry of two blocs, some having movement going on for independence and some striving to protect their nascent independence.

However, in fact, Mr. Nehru disliked communism internally as a philosopher leader ordained in liberal democratic tradition of non-violence of Gandhi jee and having intense desires for “common faith”, as he writes in his autobiography in the same page, “I dislike dogmatism and the treatment of Karl Marx’s writing or any other books as revealed scriptures which cannot be challenged, and the regimentation and heresy hunts which seem to be a feature of modern communism.” (5) His this thought was original rather then of conclusion that, “But still I incline more and more towards a communist philosophy.” How much he disliked the communists could be ascertained from the writings of Burma’s First Prime Minister – U Nu and his visit to India. U Nu mentions that one of his trip to India, which he used to regularly visit for his close friendship with Nehru, that, “One was the usual concourse of Indian villagers, who shouted their welcome and threw garlands and bouquets at Mr. Nehru’s jeep…As Pandit Nehru came into view the communist leaders gave the cue but the crowd did not make the correct responses. Instead of shouting slogans they joined their hands in approved Hindu fashion to salute their Prime Minister. He was told that the communists had paid them one rupee each for this demonstration.”(6)

Jawaharlal Nehru’s strong wish of forging Indo-US relations of “common faith”, which got delayed due to the cold war politics could be best described by his sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, in her autobiography – “The Scope of Happiness”, recalling Nehru’s first trip to the United States of America in 1949, that, “Everywhere the warmth of welcome accorded him was astonishing and touched him very much. There were many things he enjoyed and people whom he was pleased to meet and through whom (he) gained glimpses of the America of his dreams.”(7)

(Continued….)

Endnotes:

1. Jawaharlal Nehru, An Autobiography, Published by The Bodley Head, London, 1953, p.361.
2. Ibid., p.591.
3. Ibid., p.591.
4. Ibid., p.591.
5. Ibid., p.591.
6. U Nu, U Nu Saturday’s Son, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1975, p.233.
7. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, The Scope of Happiness: A Personal Memoir, New York Crown, 1979

(Continued….)

Note: the next post will be concluding one on this issue.

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