The evolution of India’s foreign policy – Part II

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s departure brought significant changes in India’s foreign policy as well as its national security. Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Prime Minister of India on June 9, 1964 when Jawaharlal Nehru died in office on May 27, 1964. Congress Party President K Kamaraj was instrumental in making Shastri the Prime Minister as he wanted to keep the more conservative Morarji Desai from becoming the next Prime Minister of India. Shastri was a self proclaimed socialist but his policies were far more pragmatic then his predecessor’s. Shastri’s legacy is the slogan, “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”, simply put, food self-sufficiency and national security. India would always remain indebted to this modest man who gave so much to his country without the self-promotion like Nehru-Gandhi cabal. We were so proud of Shastriji!

Lal Bahadur Shastri was the Prime Minister and a de facto Foreign Minister of India for only 19 months but his tenure became significant in terms of India’s foreign policy. The 22 days war with Pakistan in September 1965 and a simultaneous naked threat from China convinced Shastri and a peaceful democratic India that our neighbors have nothing to keep them united except to wage wars to divert domestic attention. India had no choice but to postpone national development and share scarce financial resources with national security needs. Shastriji had no hesitation in calling a spade a spade and build a national consensus for India’s defense buildup. The second factor was the advent of ‘Green Revolution’ and the ‘White Revolution’ in India. Prime Minister Shastri changed a starving India into self-sufficient and proud nation!

Prime Minister Shastri suddenly died of a heart-attack in Tashkent on January 11, 1966. He was attending a peace summit with Pakistani President Muhammad Ayub Khan and had signed the Tashkent Declaration the day before. The Indo-Pak accord was facilitated by the erstwhile Soviet Union. Once again Gulzarilal Nanda took over as an interim Prime Minister for 13 days. Once again Kamaraj stiffed Morarji Desai and manipulated the election of Indira Gandhi as technically the 5th Prime Minister of India on January 24, 1966. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi continued with Sardar Swaran Singh as her Minister for External Affairs but replaced him with Mahommedali Currim Chagla on November 14, 1966. The whole gang of Mrs Gandhi was self-proclaimed socialist and leaned towards the Communist Block of countries.

Indira Gandhi was a chip of the old block in terms of her politics. Just like her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, She did not trust the private sector in India. She nationalized the banks of India in July 1969. She felt comfortable dealing with the former Soviet Union but distrusted the United States of America, especially President Richard Nixon. They disliked each other from the bottom their hearts. Indo-US relations nose-dived to the lowest level in the entire history of independent India. Nixon seriously contemplated using a nuclear bomb against India, a fellow democracy during Indo-Pak war in 1971! Indira Gandhi was ideologically close to her socialist father but was the toughest Prime Minister when it came to India’s national security. She crushed Pakistan.

Lalu Prasad Yadav is no “Lulloo”…

Lalu Prasad Yadav is a very savvy politician today. Was he always so shrewd or not, is difficult to judge but he has certainly grown in his job. Lalu has a very solid base in his home-state of Bihar and therefore brings a huge political capital to the Union Cabinet. Unlike the political gigolos like Shivraj Patil (Union Minister for Home Affairs) and Pranab Mukherjee (Minister for External Affairs of India) who have zero base in their home-states and bring absolutely nothing to the Central Government. These two characters are disgustingly loyal to Sonia Gandhi (Congress Party President) and pose no regional or national challenge to her unqualified writ on the Indian Government. Unlike Lalu Prasad Yadav, Patil and Mukherjee are more of a liability than any kind of an asset. This is no way to provide a stable central government.

Yadav was born on June 11, 1947 in Gopalgang, Bihar. He was a student leader at Patna University and a staunch follower of Jai Prakash Narayan during the 70s. He was only 29 years old when he was elected a Member of Parliament of the 6th Lok Sabha. He won the seat on a Janata Party ticket, specifically promoted by Satyendra Narayan Sinha (the erstwhile Chief Minister of Bihar). Lalu Prasad Yadav belongs to a backward caste and so became a formidable force in Bihar state Politics. He was elected the Chief Minister of Bihar in 1990 and from there he and his wife, Rabri Devi, ruled the state for the next 15 years. Lalu and his family behaved like the local Rajas of their fiefdom (Bihar) and were involved in a politically toxic ‘Fodder Scam’. He was sent to jail five times. His wife took over as Chief Minister of Bihar.