The External Affairs Minister of India, Subramaniam Jaishankar on March 20, 2024, called former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s foreign policy stance towards China as a “bubble”. Speaking at an Indian media news summit, the Minister was critical of India’s early foreign policy direction under the leadership of PM Nehru.
“This is a bubble which we have created. In the earlier years, it was a very much a Nehruvian ideological bubble. Nehru was against America and so everybody was against America. Nehru says China is a great friend, everybody says China is a great friend. Even today you have a concept called Chindia,” he said.
Speaking about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel caution to Nehru with regards to China, Jaishankar said, the Iron Man of India was sceptical. Patel put in writing “The intentions of China cannot be taken in a positive way. There is much we have to apprehend adding that the Deputy PM did not have a rosy picture about India’s northern neighbour.
Jaishankar also added that Nehru’s response was “I cannot conceive that anybody could take a wild adventure across the Himalayas, adding that this is exactly what China did in 1962. “So, if Jaishankar in 2024 says they got it wrong, then your question is valid.
It’s not Jaishankar who is saying it, it is Patel who spoke on China. It is Syama Prasad Mukherjee (India’s first minister of Industry and Supply) and BR Ambedkar (India’s first law and Justice minister), Why are you alienating the Americans?”
“We were alienating the Americans for China. We were taking up China’s cause and more than anything else, what an irony, in the 1950s we spoiled our relationship with America because we were arguing on behalf of China,” Jaishankar said. He further added, this is not he hindsight, but placing before the younger generations, historical situations which I call the road not taken.”
That road was available, it was marked, those people drew maps and said don’t go this way, that way, and we consciously chose not to take these roads. It was a not a no-brainer, there were plus and minuses, but we need to get out of the cult worship where everything from 1946 till our pick your-year, were great years and everything went splendidly, everything that went wrong and other people were to blame.
Jaishankar further said, that Nehru’s foreign policies are not above reproach. “There is a feeling that Nehru’s foreign policy is such an impeccable theology that even today whoever comes to power must follow it and any deviation is wrong. Companies are audited, after all, the countries should be audited, policies should be audited and people must look at the past with an open and critical mind”
The minister also added that he would be very happy to discuss his own policies. “I would also be happy to discuss the last ten years with you and I would be very happy to defend my record,” he said.
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