Prof B R Sharma
We celebrated 129th birthday of our Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru a few days back as Children’s Day on 14th of November. I am reminded of an episode in my life which I want to share with my countrymen in all humility.
It was in Oct 1958 that I participated in 15 day long National Youth Festival representing J&K in Hindi Elocution Contest (meant only for non-Hindi Speaking States).It was inaugurated by Panditji.
On the penultimate day of the festival our Prof. I/c Madam Surjit Mahinder Singh asked me to get ready to go to Teen Murti House for a photograph with the Prime Minister alongwith other participants from the State. I was not inclined to go there but she persuaded me. Actually I was allergic towards Pandit ji. I was a keen student of national and international affairs and I genuinely felt that Pt Ji had done more harm than good to national interest of the country as under :
* I believed that he was mainly responsible for the partition of the country leading unprecedented massacre of people , mainly the minorities in Pakistan.
* Pt Ji decided to go in for ceasefire in J&K against military advice and went to UNO for getting Pakistan aggression vacated.
Pt Ji held a Cabinet meeting in the absence of Sardar Patel and decided to handover Tibet to China ignoring the advice of Sardar Patel in this regard. It may be pointed out that in the monsoon Session of Parliament (July 1962) the Prime Minister presented a white paper highlighting his correspondence with Chauien lie on the boundary questions. In one of the letters Pt Ji stated that Tibet was never ruled by China except when a Mangol emperor was ruling over China, Tibet remained under his rule only for 6-7 years. one wonders, if this was the case why was Tibet handed over to China in the Ist place). Atleast, he could have sought recognition of Mac Mohan line and sovereignty of India over the whole of J&K as reciprocal act on the part of China.
In 1953-54 Pt Prem Nath Dogra had warned that China was trying to occupy Aksai Chin of Ladakh region. Pt ji refuted this statement of Mr Dogra in Parliament. But 1956 he suo moto informed the House that China had occupied Aksai Chin and had also constructed a road there. There were protests. Pt Ji stated that China needs that area. When some members became furious Pt Ji stated “Not even a blade of grass grows there! In response to these words of Pt Nehru, Mahavir Ji, Tyagi a Congress member (Defence Minister under Shastri) shouted loudly: “Meri Taraf Dekho, Meri Taraf Dekho, is par (Pointing to his bald head) ek bhi bal nahin hai mujhe is ki zaroorat hai ya nahin” (There is not a single hair on this (pointing towards his bald head, do I need it or not?).
I got the feeling that the Prime Minister had virtually abdicated his duty in safeguarding the territorial integrity of the country. This demonstration of generosity might have been justified if the land in question happened to be the private property of a person. However in this case, it was clear violation of oath of office. It could not be defended by any stretch of imagination. So I had nothing but contempt for my Prime Minister.
When we reached Teen Murti House my Professor made me stand by the left side of the chair the Prime Minister was to sit in. This was not to my liking. I tried to move away from the chair. In the meanwhile the Prime Minster arrived. I looked at him with utter contempt and lo! Something wonderful happened. My heart was overwhelmed with a sense of great joy. The idea which dominated my mind constantly was ‘how healthy and prime minister is !”
In the moment of that elation, I critically asked my self if the Prime Minister was right in above mentioned acts of our mission and commission, the response from the inside of my self was ‘He (PM) was wrong.’
Later, I analysed the whole episode and came to the conclusion that Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru was blessed with an aura or magnetic field which is a rare phenomenon among human beings.
It is an other matter that the country and future generations have been made to pay heavily for his generosity and idealism.
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