Left-Wing Ideology Was Strong Under Nehru, EAM Jaishankar Says At Launch Of His Second Book

Jaishankar referred to how "Nehru allowed China to become a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC)" and how New Delhi sought Washington’s assistance during the 1962 India-China war.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Wednesday said India’s foreign policy had a “strong” left-wing ideology under first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who had a “rosy view” of China. Launching his second book by Rupa Publications — 'Why Bharat Matters' — Jaishankar said: “If we were more 'Bharat' then (during Nehru’s era), we would have had a less rosy view of our relationship with China.”

Jaishankar referred to how "Nehru allowed China to become a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC)" and how New Delhi sought Washington’s assistance during the 1962 India-China war. “There was a certain kind of left-wing ideology that was very strong in that period,” said Jaishankar.

 

In the book, the External Affairs Minister has dedicated an entire chapter on China called ‘Dealing With China’, where he speaks about how Nehru “appeared to take at face value the repeated references by China desiring friendship".

 

Referring to the 1962 conflict, Jaishankar said in the book how Nehru was following a ‘China First’ policy of sorts. He writes, “A very different situation reveals how deeply this mindset was divorced from ground realities.”  

India’s Role As A Mediator 

According to Jaishankar, India has been playing the role of a mediator. “It [mediation by India] has happened from time to time,” he said, adding that India did mediate during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. He said, “Sometimes it helps to be up in front and sometimes it’s better to not get in the way… We like to be helpful in practical terms.”

 

The minister also underscored the fact that India now gives importance to all countries — be it big or small. “We have reached a situation where there is no country in the world that does not matter to us,” Jaishankar said.

 

He said as the world has arrived at an inflection point, India’s foreign policy is also changing because the country is undergoing a change. According to Jaishankar, India's immediate neighbourhood is also going to shape the country's foreign policy in the foreseeable future. 

 

Jaishankar underlined the fact that domestic issues “cannot be divorced” from what’s happening beyond its borders.