The Indian Libertarian

Summary

This January 1, 1964 issue (Vol. XI No. 19) of The Indian Libertarian, edited by D. M. Kulkarni, mixes Indian party politics with Cold War foreign affairs. The editorial celebrates the Congress party’s heavy electoral defeat in Goa; M. A. Venkata Rao surveys American foreign policy and its posture toward the Communist bloc; M. N. Tholal asks ‘Whom To Follow?’ in a meditation on political leadership and integrity; A. G. Noorani draws a pointed analogy between Nehru and Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement; and Prof. M. S. Prasad examines the Congress party’s internal Kamraj Plan. A Delhi Letter on disarray in the Communist ‘Red Camp,’ plus Book Review, The Mind of the Nation, News and Views, and Dear Editor departments complete the number.

Essays

Editorial: Congress Badly Trounced in Goa

The unsigned editorial, ‘Congress Badly Trounced In Goa,’ reads the Congress party’s decisive electoral defeat in Goa as a verdict by the people against the party. It argues the result is a rebuke the Congress would have done well to accept as a true expression of popular will, drawing broader lessons about the gap between the ruling party and the electorate.

• Treats the Goa election result as a heavy defeat for Congress.
• Frames the outcome as the considered verdict of the people.
• Draws a broader lesson about Congress’s distance from popular sentiment.

American Foreign Policy

By MA Venkata Rao

M. A. Venkata Rao’s ‘American Foreign Policy’ assesses the United States’ conduct on the world stage and its rivalry with the Communist powers. Rao weighs America’s responsibilities as a leading free-world power against the demands of the Cold War, considering how its foreign policy bears on India and the non-aligned nations.

• Surveys US foreign policy in the Cold War context.
• Weighs American leadership of the free world against Communist rivalry.
• Considers the implications for India and non-aligned states.

Whom To Follow

By M. N. Tholal

M. N. Tholal’s ‘Whom To Follow?’ is a reflective essay on leadership and the integrity of those who claim it. Tholal argues that great leaders cannot foretell the precise course events will take, and probes how a public ought to choose whom to follow when no leader’s judgement is infallible.

• Reflects on the nature of political leadership.
• Argues that even great leaders cannot foresee how events unfold.
• Questions how the public should choose whom to follow.

Nehru and Chamberlain

By A. G. Noorani

A. G. Noorani’s ‘Nehru and Chamberlain’ draws a sharp historical analogy between Jawaharlal Nehru and Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister associated with appeasement. Noorani argues that Nehru, like Chamberlain, pursued a policy whose methods were ultimately exposed as inadequate by events, inviting the reader to weigh the comparison in light of India’s strategic setbacks.

• Draws an analogy between Nehru and Neville Chamberlain.
• Centres on the failure of appeasement-style policy.
• Invites reassessment of Nehru’s strategic judgement.

The Congress and the Kamraj Plan

By M. S. Prasad

Prof. M. S. Prasad’s ‘The Congress and the Kamraj Plan’ examines the Congress party’s internal reorganisation scheme, under which senior leaders resigned office to devote themselves to party work. Prasad traces how the All-India Congress Committee handled the plan and what it revealed about power and discipline within the ruling party.

• Analyses the Congress party’s Kamraj Plan reorganisation.
• Examines the A.I.C.C.’s handling of the scheme.
• Reads the plan as a window onto Congress internal politics.

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