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70 years since Purna Swaraj became a reality

opinion70 years since Purna Swaraj became a reality

A mini parade was held. The President unfurled the National Flag, with PM Nehru standing next to him.

 

Jawaharlal Nehru’s An Autobiography concludes with three appendixes. I quote the last paragraph of Appendix A.

Pledge taken on Republic Day:

26 January 1930

“We held it to be a crime against man and God to submit any longer to a rule that has caused this fourfold disaster to our country. We recognize, however, that the most effective way of gaining our freedom is not through violence. We will therefore prepare ourselves by withdrawing, so far as we can, all voluntary association from the British Government, and will prepare for civil disobedience, including non-payment of taxes.

“We are convinced that if we can withdraw our voluntary help and stop payment of taxes without doing violence, even under provocation, the end of inhuman rule is assured. We therefore hereby solemnly resolve to carry Congress instructions issued from time to time for the purpose of establishing Purna Swaraj.”

Twenty years later this pledge became a reality.

I vaguely remember 26 January 1950. I was in my second year of my History (Hons) course at St. Stephen’s College. My elder brother was Adjutant of the President’s Bodyguard. There was in 1950 no military parade on Rajpath, no flypast, no tableaus.

President Dr Rajendra Prasad sat in the ceremonial horse carriage, with two aide-de-camp sitting opposite him. The carriage was escorted by the Bodyguards. The President rode through Connaught Circus, passed India Gate and finally to what is now Shivaji Stadium. A mini parade was held. The President unfurled the National Flag, with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru standing next to him.

I sat in the seats opposite the pavilion. It was possible for me to witness the historic occasion as my brother had got a pass for me.

In the evening there was the President’s Reception at Rashtapati Bhavan. For this too my brother got an invitation card for me. I was suitably dressed. A bandhgala coat and matching trousers. After the reception I caught bus number 9 from behind North Block, reaching college in time for dinner.

In the following 70 years, India and the world have changed drastically. India’s population was below 400 million. Seventy per cent of Indians lived in villages. The average age was slightly above 30. Literacy was about 35% for men, 10% for women. There were very few motorcars. Air travel was confined to Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

The Congress ruled every state. In his Cabinet the Prime Minister still had non-Congressmen, Dr Shyamaprasad Mukherjee, Dr B.R. Amdebkar, Dr John Mathai. Not one of these subscribed to Nehru’s Socialist views or his Weltanschauung.

 

***

Lately, I have been reflecting on the quality and stature of Chief Ministers we have today and those during my youth. G.B. Pant, Uttar Pradesh. C. Rajagopalachari, Madras. B.G. Kher, Bombay. Ravishankar Shukla, Central Provinces. B.C. Roy, Bengal. Pratap Singh Kairon, Punjab. Sri Krishna Sinha, Bihar. Gopinath Bardaloi, Assam. E.M.S Namboodiripad, Kerala. Biju Patnaik, Orissa. Mohanlal Sukhadia, Rajasthan.

Not one of the present lot has either their quality, or their stature.

 

***

To refresh my memory I read the relevant chapters of the autobiography of former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. President Clinton escaped impeachment in 1999 for lying about his affair with White House intern Monika Lewinsky.

Donald Trump is guilty of misuse of the office of the President and his arm-twisting the President of Ukraine for personal political advantage over his Democrat rival.

The trial is likely to go on for some time. Some Democrats have performed brilliantly, such as Adam Schiff, a leader of repute. President Trump has refused to give the documents the Democrats have asked for, nor is he agreeing to allow any witnesses appearing before the Impeachment Committee or the judge of the Supreme Court presiding over the proceedings. America waits for the outcome. So does the world.

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