Progressive Statesman

by C. RAJESWARA RAO

I am glad that the centenary celebrations of the late Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru have been held throughout the country with due solemnity. He is not only one of the tallest leaders of our freedom movement, but also the creator of modern India and a universally respected world statesman.

We Communists had our own differences with Pandit Nehru in matters of policy and practical issues. But we always held high his contribution to the cause of our country and world peace and progress.

To Pandit Nehru goes the credit for the industrialisation of our country and building up the giant irrigation and hydro-electric projects like Bhakra-Nangal and Damodar Valley. When the imperialists refused to help in the building of basic industries, he had the foresight to approach the Soviet Union and other socialist countries and build the imposing steel mills, heavy machinery and heavy electricals plants, the machine tools and petroleum industries in the public sector in various parts of our country which stand as sentinels of Indo-Soviet friend-ship, and go a long way in furthering our country’s self-reliance.

The Non-Aligned Movement, which he headed along with other leaders like Yugoslav President Marshal Tito and President Nasser of Egypt, has grown into a powerful force, not only helping the freedom struggle of countries still groaning under the yoke of imperialism and racism, but also helping the newly liberated countries to strengthen their freedom against neo-colonialist exploitation and military attacks of imperialism. I am glad that the recent Ninth Non-Aligned Summit held in Belgrade has been a tremendous success in which our country’s Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi played a significant role.

We are proud that our country has been playing an important role in the world arena since the days of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru following his progressive foreign policy of world peace, friendship with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries and the newly liberated countries. Because of this, it has won the respect and love of peace-loving and anti-imperialist forces throughout the world.

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THE main credit for the formulation of our country’s democratic Constitution and establishing the democratic institutions, goes to Pandit Nehru. It is necessary to remind ourselves that in today’s conditions these democratic institutions are being eroded and democratic values are being trampled underfoot.

Pandit Nehru was not only secular to the core, but he also had these ideas incorporated in our country’s Constitution. The situation in our country is very frightening when the forces of communalism and fundamentalism of various hues have raised their ugly heads, fanning fratri-cidal conflict among the people and endangering the unity and integrity of our country. They are challenging the secular democratic set-up of our country through such slogans as “Hindu Rashtra” and Khalistan”. Defence of the secular democratic set-up of our country is the best way of paying tribute to the memory of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru today.

The relevance of Pandit Nehru’s signal service to our country and the world becomes all the greater today, when our country and the world are facing a serious situation.

I would like to end with one personal reminiscence. Pandit Nehru was broadminded. It was this which helped in resolving the Telangana armed struggle problem in 1952 when our comrades laid down their arms and the cases against them were withdrawn.

[From Nehru: The Nation Remembers (Tributes from members of the National Committee for the Commemoration of the
Jawaharlal Nehru Centenary)]