GULZARI LAL NANDA.

THE P.M. INDIA NEVER GOT.

SARASIJ MAJUMDER

In spite of having best qualities, one may be unsuccessful, in political carrier as well. Among those I know, the first name that comes to my mind is late Shri Gulzarilal Nanda, two times “acting” prime minister of India, and a Bharat Ratna awardee.

Born on July 4, 1898, in Sialkot (Punjab), Shri Gulzarilal Nanda was educated at Lahore, Agra and Allahabad. He worked as a research scholar on labour problems at the University of Allahabad (1920-1921) and became Professor of Economics at the National College (Bombay) in 1921. He joined the Non-Cooperation Movement the same year. In 1922, he become Secretary of the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association in which he worked until 1946. He was imprisoned for Satyagraha in 1932, and again from 1942 to 44.

Shri Nanda was elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly in 1937 and was Parliamentary Secretary (Labour and Excise) to the Government of Bombay from 1937 to 1939. Later, as Labour Minister of the Bombay Government (1946-50), he successfully piloted the Labour Disputes Bill in the State Assembly.

In 1947, he went to Geneva as a Government delegate to the International Labour Conference. He worked on the ‘The Freedom of Association Committee’ appointed by the Conference and visited Sweden, France, Switzerland, Belgium and England to study labour and housing conditions in those countries.

In March 1950, he joined the Planning Commission as its Vice-Chairman. In September the following year, he was appointed Planning Minister in the Union Government. In addition, he was also given charge of the portfolios of Irrigation and Power. He was elected to the House of the People from Bombay in the general elections of 1952 and was re-appointed Minister for Planning, Irrigation and Power. He led the Indian Delegation to the Planning Consultative Committee held at Singapore in 1955, and the International Labour Conference held at Geneva in 1959.

Shri Nanda was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 1957 general elections, and was appointed Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Planning and, later, as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. He visited the Federal Republic of Germany, Yugoslavia and Austria in 1959.

He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in the 1962 general elections from Sabar kantha Constituency in Gujarat. He initiated the Congress Forum for Socialist Action in 1962. He was Union Minister for Labour and Employment in 1962 and 1963 and Minister for Home Affairs from 1963 to 1966. During this time, he divided the Punjab Suba in a most efficient manner, in two states-namely Punjab, and Haryana. Later, in 1970, H.P. was created from Punjab.

 

Nanda has the dubious distinction of having been the interim prime minister of India, not once, but twice, by virtue of his position as the senior most minister in the cabinet of deceased prime ministers.

First, he was the interim prime minister for exactly 13 days, from 27.05.1964 to 09.06.1964, upon the death of the first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, before he was succeeded by Lal Bahadur Shastri,

Again, he was the interim prime minister for, hold your breath, exactly 13 days from 11.01.1966 to 24.01.1966, upon the unexpected demise of Shastri, only to be succeeded by Indira Gandhi this time.

 Perhaps for him 13 was really an unlucky number.

Despite being a tall leader in his own right, and second to none in his political stature, and having been the senior most minister after the prime ministers in the cabinet, he still had no one to support him for being made the prime minister of the country. Worse still, he was sidelined and marginalized shortly after Indira Gandhi took over the reins, and he prematurely retired from active politics.

He was man of severe austerity and impeccable integrity, even while holding the post of a union minister. He was perhaps the first politician (other than Rajaji) to understand the pervasive corruption in the corridors of power and the bureaucratic Babudom, and voiced his grave concerns time and again. In fact, it was his uncompromising uprightness which isolated him and left him without any support in CORRUPT  CONGRESS.

He shared the virtues of unimpeachable integrity and good and administrative acumen with both Morarji Desai and Lal Bahadur Shastri, without the rigidity and quirkiness of Morarji bhai, and the extremely soft demeanour of Shastriji. He also had a good grounding in economics, having been a professor of economics during his earlier days, and was a member of the Planning Commission and Minister of Planning in the Nehru cabinet for long. Considering that he lived long (he was near 100 at the time of his death in 1999) while Shastri met with a premature end, if Nanda had succeeded Nehru instead of Shastri in 1964 itself, the entire course of Indian political history might have been markedly different. This was Mr. Ram Chandra Guha’s famous lines.

Both, He, and Shastriji were suitable candidates for the PM post. But after Mr. Shastri’s demise—he was the only choice left.

Had, Mr. Nanda confirmed as P.M. after Mr. Shastri’s fateful demise, Indira Gandhi may or may not have migrated to London.  But she was politically very ambitious, a ruthless woman and controlled CONGRESS KHAJANA single handedly.  She was not  accepting defeat.  We will discuss that part elsewhere. And, after becoming PM, she treated Mr. Nanda badly. His stay in Government accommodation was not extended for a small time, and his belongings were thrown on road.

Mr. Nanda developed the pilgrimage town of Kurukshetra, in Haryana, as we know it today- including the Brahma Sarovar and all, were  Mr. Nanda’s work. I have been there. Kurukshetra won’t forget him, ever.

Mr. Nanda died  unsung, just six months shy of 100 years in January 1998,  in Ahmedabad. During his last days, he was taken care of by his daughter Dr. Pushpa Naik née Nanda and her family (All doctors). Dr Pushpa Naik was still a practicing gynaecologist in Ahmedabad, even some time ago.

Nation had failed to show the respect that was due to such a tall leader and a freedom fighter with very high honesty and integrity. The only silver lining perhaps was the country's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna,  was conferred on him in 1997, just one year before his death.

It was unfortunate for him to be a congressman, who was  also at the same time  Honest and Patriotic to the core.

We lost an UPRIGHT senior Congress Leader who could become right PM of INDIA after Mr. Shastri’s demise, a candidate outside the DYNASTY,  but lost due to smallness of the senior congress leaders like Kamraj, AZAD, Desai etc. who were involved in selecting Mr. Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister. What a  great loss it was!!

Reference:--

1.0 PM INDIA SITE 2.0 India Today 3.0 Publication of Infinity Team 4.0- IP, TOI, NEWS 18.