Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of Independent India, and its longest-serving till date, being in office for more than 16 years. Nehru was a barrister by profession, and played a key role in India’s freedom movement. He is often called the architect of modern India, laying the foundations of a free, independent and modern India. Nehru is also celebrated for his charisma, and huge crowds used to turn up to hear him speak.
Born into a privileged, educated family, he was sent to England at age 15 to study. He returned with democratic and liberal values. Nehru was a socialist at heart, and his policies reflected that. Nehru promoted a pluralistic multi-party democracy in India. He implemented moderate socialist economic reforms and committed India to a policy of industrialisation. In foreign affairs, he played a leading role in establishing the Non-Aligned Movement. Under Nehru’s leadership, the Congress emerged as a catch-all party, dominating national and state-level politics and winning elections in 1951, 1957 and 1962.
Some of the highlights of his tenure as prime minister included the India-Pakistan war of 1947-48, the India-China war of 1962, the reorganisation of states along linguistic lines, the Five-Year plans setting up of IITs, IIMS, ISRO, DRDO, among others. Nehru died while in office, serving as the PM for the fourth time.
I don’t know why such a fuss is being made about Indian National Army’s (INA) 75 years. This means INA was FOUNDED in 1943, barely 4 years before we won the Independence anyway. If INA had been in existence 15-20 years prior to that then one could have said that Neta ji did pool in his mite to make India free. And that too, he wanted to involve Hitler to fight against the British. That man was out to conquer the whole world; how easy would it have been to get rid of him and his “remote control” if he had entered here through Neta ji is anybody’s guess. it would have been like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. In my opinion, Neta ji was just another egoistic leader like Jinnah who trod the national scene in last days of the British Raj.