Mumbai Terror Attack: Remembering Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - An Awkward Corner

Mumbai Terror Attack: Remembering Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Niranjan Rajadhyaksha - Monday, December 01, 2008 1:16 PM

The heads have started rolling --- and high time too.

While people such as Shivraj Patil, Vilasrao Deshmukh and R.R. Patil deserve to be sacked, this is also a good time to look at the overall leadership deficit in India.

The best thing I can do right now is to look at the tremendous record of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first and finest home minister.

Patel was in charge of independent India's internal security from 15 August 1947 till his death on 15 December 1950. That is all of 40 months, during which he also battled poor health.

Look at his achievements in those 40 tumultous months.

1. August 1947. India was partitioned: millions crossed the new borders and there were communal conflagrations. Sceptics asked whether the new nation would survive this ordeal by fire. Patel led from the front and peace was established in a few months.

2. August 1947. Patel ensured the political integration of India. The hard work was done in the weeks before independence by Patel and V.P. Menon. Nearly 600 royal families were persuaded --- and at times bullied --- into joining the Indian Union.

3. November 1947. The three most important princely states that did not agree to join the Indian Union were Kashmir, Junagadh and Hyderabad. The Kashmir problem erupted first when Pakistani army regulars disguised as tribals marched into Kashmir and towards Srinagar. That led to India's first war with Pakistan. 

4. January 1948. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated and the country was in a state of shock. Violence could have erupted all over again if we had then had a weak and indecisive man in charge of internal security.

5.  September 1948. There was police action against Junagadh and Hyderabad. Read this on Operation Polo against the Nizam of Hyderabad in in that month.

What makes this record even more awesome is the fact that Patel has almost no administrative experience when he took charge. He was helped by an elite civil service trained to run the British Empire and an efficient police force. These services were not demotivated and politicized as they are now. 

Many Indian politicians like to pretend to be modern avtaars of the great man who held India together in its infancy, while being committed to civil liberties and secularism.

The more immediate point is that if the country has leaders of Patel's stature and abilities, the war on terror need not be a losing one. But has anybody seen such leaders lately?

 

 

 

 

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9 Comment

From V.B.N.Ram

December 1, 2008 5:56 PM
It was not for nothing that Patel was called the " iron man of India " This answers the question, which you have put while concluding your well covered analysis. Patel's present day avatars or those who claim to be so, are boot lickers of party icons and shirkers. Chidambaram, despite being an honest and intelligent man, does not quite fit the bill. Among the nations from whose vast resorvoir and expertise, India can valuably gain ( those that stand in the forefront ) are the US and Isreal. Fortunately for India , both have agreed to lend us a shoulder to cope up with our problems. The Homeland Security in the US has proved its metal, considering that there has been no terror attack there ever since 9 /11. During my revent visit to the US, I ran into an Isreali tourist, who said it is sad your great nation and Isreal do not share intelligence to the desired extent, much can be achieved, if they do so. And if we work together we can be a formidable duo.

From Vivek Sanghi

December 2, 2008 12:41 AM
Sardar Patel was an extraordinary man. Considering the grim situation of today's politics in India I do not expect to see any such person come on the scene for a long time. I hope to see younger politicians like Rahul Gandhi take a stand and rise up to the occasion. With reference to Mr Chidambaram, I feel that the man is not cut out for handling the home ministry. He is fine as a finance minister (I feel that his hand was forced to mishandle India's fiscal policies due to the party pressure of playing vote bank politics). Lalu Prasad has shown results with the railway ministry. Shouldn't he be given the task? Well I can't see anyone else capable in the UPA... with reference to the point about Israel raised by VBN Ram, I think Israel is an issue which puts India's foreign policy makers in a tight spot. Historically we have supported the Palestinians. However our objectives have become increasingly aligned with that of Israel and the US. But if we increase our relations with Israel, the government will have to face the ire of the middle east and India's 13% Muslim population. Surprisingly even the NDA did not focus on moving towards Israel during its rule. So what do they do? Status Quo is no longer an option with Israel.

From Sandip

December 2, 2008 8:35 AM
Who thought that the change of a single alphabet - from 'e' to 'i' (Patel to Patil) could make such a huge difference ? Poor puns and jokes apart, you hit the proverbial nail on the helmet clad political heads, when you talk of the overall 'leadership deficit' in India today. I belive that, the sacking of a Shivaraj Patil (who had no business to be the Home Minister in the first place –I wouldn’t therefore blame his incompetence rather that of those who gave him that all important portfolio to begin with – for reasons best known to them). Sacrificing a Vilas Rao Deshmukh and R R Patil at the alter of electoral expediency wouldn’t solve the problem either. Mired in shameful 'vote-bank' politics our leaders lack the will - let alone competence or capability to make the fundamental structural changes that are required. The rot has set-in far too deep.I am afraid that, even Sardar Patel would have failed in today's political climate. He would have found himself in the same predicament as our present day "Sardar". The sytem wouldn't have allowed him to function. www.ghoses.blogspot.com

From Ganesh

December 2, 2008 2:31 PM
I don't think it is wise to compare now with 1947. At the same time, I am not undermining Patel's great work. The present politicians need to be punished. And I think the violence in 1947 stopped because of Gandhi's assasination. It doesn't matter who the home minister in 1947 was. Even if a weak man was the home minister violence would have stopped.

From Amit Chaudhery

December 2, 2008 4:14 PM
Ganesh, I disagree. If anything, were were much much weaker in 1947 in every respect except for great leaders and a less than crooked civil service.As someone whose family lost everything in the Partition., let me tell you violence never stops on its own ; it may reduce but does not stop. There is far too much vested interest.But that's a discussion by itself. How can there be leaders like the Sardar ? Look at the pygmies we have today. A Mulayam Singh Yadav is called Netaji !! An Advani is called the Iron Man ! Every politician considers office his/her fiefdom for hereditary succession. But it is wrong to blame just them, they mirror the rot which has run too deep to be cured.

From Amish

December 2, 2008 5:37 PM
With all due respect, the political realities of the two eras differ. India today has seen coalition rule since a decade; in 1947, there was no other political party to rival the Congress which could bring the government down. Hence the iron-will of Patel, despite whatever criticism which could have existed, could not have met with any political opposition. And Patel had a much greater help: to quote you, "These (civil) services were not demotivated and politicized as they are now." However, this is not to say that the current political apparatus is a better one. And, history is replete with the idea of great empire-builders who could not control, or secure, their empires: Napoleon, Bismarck, to name a few.

From Gopi

December 3, 2008 10:36 AM
Mr Rajadhyaksha writes that "... committed to civil liberties and secularism..." Actually, he was villified by Leftists and Nehru's cronies within Congress Party (Maulana Azad being a notable one) as "fascist" and "communal" - sounds familiar! - it got so ugly that Gandhiji had to speak publicly on behalf of Sardar. One of the leading lights of the former was JP. He confessed his error and wrote sort of apology in an article in Indian Express in early 70's. Another one was Rajaji who did the same earlier. If he were alive today and spoke / did what he did then, our Left-Liberal brigade and most of the media will be after his blood. One of the leading lights of Nehru-Bhakta brigade, Ram Guha, wrote an article in Outlook few years ago on what if Sardar Patel had become PM instead of Guha's God, Nehru. His conclusion: Indian would have become a Hindu Rashtra. Secularism is the most abused term in our nation's public discourse and sooner we get rid of this, better it will be for all the citizens.

From Gopi

December 3, 2008 8:00 PM
To me, secularism means (a) State has no official religion (b) all are equal for State (c) no favoritsm of, or discrimation against, any citizen on account of his/her religion. Our country fails on all these all but one (a) counts!

From SRP

December 17, 2008 9:05 PM
Before we look within for Patels and Shastries, do any of us felt the need for better foreign policy. This is equally important. India need to win many wars on the intellectual forums against the West, China and lastly against Muslim world in the same order. Do we have a smart leader to re-draft a foreign policy along with a hero to lead surgical operations? Otherwise we fail to fix this mess which is self-created all over these decades. Unless we behave smartly, smarter leaders never "emerge out of India". I hope I am clear here. Some of you might have seen last night's TV show by Karan Thapar.Ex-foreign sec of India hinted need for better policy. And he is on right track but not to the extent needed. A day before, I have posted my opinions as I felt a similar need. I urge you all to ref it before reading me further Under Topic Terror Attack: What The World Is Saying. @December 15, 2008 4:33 PM. We need to start identify states Baluchistan, Panjab of Pakistan, Sind as independent nations and stop using the name Pakistan. We have to do this - not as reaction of attack on Taj. We need to correct few things which we have forgotten historically. India and world need to restore the identity of forgotten cultures of these states and it’s a must precursor and only as a natural result we can also correct other historical problems like Kashmir dispute. We need to go about fixing the problem by both ends, A diplomatic correction must begin now along with others we all are wanting. India which is complacent so far, needs to wake up and lead this change across the globe, including in the states I mentioned above. Though surgical operations on PoK will reduce intensity of the terror to 80% - but they have their own side effects if done without changing the direction of foreign policy. India fought wars before, but never smart enough to prevent them !. Are we are hoping our longing for democracy in Pak, will set the things right? Democracy won't as long as INDIA lacks smartness. God bless India.

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