Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee began his political life critical of some movements and strategies adopted by Mahatma Gandhi and was similarly opposed to the policies of Jawaharlal Nehru, according to a new biography titled Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right 1924-1977 by Abhishek Choudhary, the first of a two-part volume published by Picador.
To be sure, Vajpayee – who went on to become Prime Minister himself – gained great respect for Gandhi over the course of his life, and his animosity towards Nehru also appeared to be tinged with admiration sometimes.
The book suggests that Vajpayee, who was 18 when the Quit India movement was launched by Gandhi in 1942, wasn’t entirely convinced of its effectiveness. “Whereas the second world war was a time to strengthen ourselves militarily, the opportunity was wasted on individual satyagraha which ended, as always, with sitting purposelessly in the jail,’’ the book quoted Vajpayee as having written in an essay in 1947.
The book relies on his writings in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS’s) mouthpiece Panchjanya, among other publications. In a 1947 essay in the newspaper, Vajpayee wrote: “World War I fuelled the Pan-Islamist ambitions of Indian Muslims. Around this time, Gandhiji, along with the Ali brothers, frequently invited the Afghans to invade India. But fortunately the Gandhi-Muslim conspiracy got noticed, and thus 30 years ago that disgusting attempt to convert India into Pakistan was thwarted.”
Even during Gandhi’s fast-unto-death in January 1948, the Panchjanya, in which Vajpayee had a key editorial role by then, remained critical of the event, said the book.
As Vajpayee grew into a mature parliamentarian and politician who earned praise across party lines, his views on Gandhi also seem to have evolved.
While inaugurating a street named after the Mahatma in 2002, for instance, Vajpayee said Gandhi’s teachings continued to be relevant in the 21st century. “Throughout his life, he (Gandhi) preached and practiced mutual tolerance and understanding among people belonging to all the religions of the world. In this, he echoed the age-old conviction of India’s civilisation that truth is one, the wise only interpret it differently,” he said.
Though the book, which chronicles Vajpayee’s early years in politics, did not feature the 2002 incident, it traced a similar arc in his views of Nehru’s policies.
As a young Member of Parliament in 1957, Vajpayee attacked Nehru on foreign policy and especially his engagement with China. “One face reflects Churchill, who brought victory to Britain; the other reflects Chamberlain, who encouraged Hitler with his appeasement. I am sorry to say, but we have standing before us a man who exhibits a peculiar divided personality,” he said as he attacked Nehru.
The book says how when confronted with Vajpayee’s searing attack for his invitation to Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai, Nehru complimented him in the evening for a “solid speech”. The then PM also included him in the list of delegates to the United Nations in 1960, with special instructions to foreign service officer MK Rasgotra to show him around and introduce him to leaders from different countries.
Later in his life, though, Vajpayee’s views on Nehru grew into one of grudging respect.
Describing Nehru in the United Nations, Vajpayee said: “There was a flutter in the assembly and all delegates moving here and there rushed to their respective seats. Pandit Nehru was in his white Gandhi cap, coca-cola coloured sherwani, the invariable red rose, and churidar pajamas.”
Vajpayee also noticed “his confident manner of address, his clear and perfect accents, his well-formed turns of expression”, and suddenly felt proud of his prime minister.
