The Hindu Business Line : Nehru and election

The vital role Jawaharlal Nehru played in the formative period of Independence to deepen the roots of democracy and consciously nurture Parliamentary institutions and traditions is well known. But for him adult franchise would not have been made the basis for election. Having been the darling of the masses throughout the freedom struggle, he brushed aside the doubts about its wisdom in the minds of many in the Congress Party itself. The President of the Constituent Assembly, Dr Rajendra Prasad, called it "an act of faith"; it was actually an act of great daring.

Right from the start, Nehru looked upon election as the fount of the will of the people. He used the run-up to the first election to tour the country extensively and educate his audiences of millions on democratic values and their duties as citizens.

When, after the dates were set, some leaders of the Congress Party wanted the election to be postponed citing inadequate time for preparations, he promptly rejected the demand, saying, "The elections will be held, whatever happens... It is better to keep our soul and to lose an election than to win that election in the wrong way and with the wrong means."

He wrote personally to party functionaries and the Chief Ministers to "so regulate your tour arrangements as to avoid any criticism that Ministers are misusing their official position for party advantage". He wanted the voters not to vote for candidates even of the Congress Party "if you know they are corrupt and dishonest".

Will today's political class prove itself worthy of this freedom hero's noble legacy?

B. S. Raghavan