Re: [nukkad] NEHRU-- The 1962 Indo-China Conflict

["Samira Razdan" <>]

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"Pretty much all the honest truth-telling there is in the world 
is done by children." - Oliver W. Holmes
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Nice article... Rohit ! Thank you...
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About Nehru...
The principle he followed was arbitrary, perhaps not always unjustified
or unfair, but possibly wrong in places, and certainly disputable in
many places. ... His vacillating mind didn't stand him well against
energetic and radical leaders like Mao and Zhou, both of whom were very
clear about the concept of sovereignty.
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Nehru was the first PM of -free- India (1950-1964).
Yes... he was a part of India's soul and most Indians remember him
with affection and admiration... but there are also some who are
very critical of him. :-)

The Indo-China war of 1962 was a national embarassment for India. And
India learnt a tough lesson...that it must strengthen its defenses and
not be so "naive". The war harmed India's international image ...
especially among the Third World nations. But the Indians themselves
reacted to the war with remarkable patriotism.

Nehru was a great leader and deeply devoted to democracy. But he had
his own failings... and the major one was supposedly his area of
expertise... foreign policy. And it was his political naivete
about China that led to the traumatic 1962 border war... a war for
which neither he nor India was prepared for.

Some even believe that Nehru was sympathetic to the communist ideology.
No matter what... the fact remains that he trusted the Chinese too much
and they betrayed our frienship.
(Note: And how can we forget his other blunder when he refused to take
Jinnah seriously... and India had to pay a tragic price... the
partition and the tortuous aftermath.)

Today... India has militarised areas around her border with China and
Pakistan... adjoining Jammu & Kashmir and Tibet. Today... the Himalayan
region is one of the cursed regions of the world because the people of
Kashmir die everyday due to incessant shelling by Pakistan and hundreds
of Tibetans die in Tibet under ruthless Chinese occupation. And I am
sorry to say that a large part of the blame does go to Nehru who
surrendered the glory and honor of the mighty Indian Army to both
Pakistan and China... and all for political expediency. For him it
was more important to be a world statesman than to protect the honor
of his country. :-)

Nehru is no more... but to this day... we are prisoners of our past.

Regretfully,
-Sam.
















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