What Patel would have done and Nehru didn't

Whether India gained independence by a quirk of fate, or by distinct design or by the selfless sacrifice of martyrs or by the moral fortitude of the teeming millions who followed Gandhiji from Dandi to Delhi is a debate that will never tire.

But what is substantially clear is that the freedom was dearly bought and  that we cannot afford to pay the cost twice.

The leadership at the time of independence had caliber, commitment and a collective conscience, all of which seem so remote from the people who drive the country today that we are set to wonder if we are indeed the same country.

While the world is looking at the progress that India has made with some awe and significant amazement, not because the progress has been so rapid, but because, they believed, due to the perception of a post independence apocalypse created by the British, that India would plunge into anarchy and chaos, the moment she would be free.

While India did make her tryst with destiny, she at the same time, reigned in the chaos that the British so much expected her to inevitably plunge into, the moment they left.

Today, when a giant statue of Vallabh Bhai Patel is being erected, the marginalization of a stalwart by the Gandhian ecosystem once again became the hot topic of debates right across the country.

There was a very large section of people eg. my grandfather, who wished Vallabhai Patel had become the first PM of the country for reasons which varied from Patels understanding of rural India, of its malaise and their faith in his ability of executing to perfection. While this section found Nehru charming and magnetic, it would rather catapult Vallabhai Patel into lead the Cabinet and let Nehru be the quintessential foreign minister whose oratorical prowess would charm the international audience to a nascent yet resurgent India. But that was not to be, as Gandhiji’s preference for Nehru to a strong headed Patel was no secret.

A few things that I am sure Patel would have done far better than Nehru due to his background and superior understanding of what India stood for would perhaps been :

1. Maintaining a strong, motivated and modern defense force
2. Laying the foundation of a robust rural self governance model
3. Casting a cabinet with an immaculately clean reputation and government that was free of corruption
4. No dynasty