The Indian Libertarian

Summary

This March 15, 1963 issue of The Indian Libertarian (Vol. X No. 24), a Bombay fortnightly edited by D. M. Kulkarni, is dominated by the aftermath of the 1962 Sino-Indian war and India’s place in the Cold War. The lead editorial argues India can still rally South-East Asia against Chinese expansion if it sheds non-alignment; M. A. Venkata Rao anatomises the nature of Communist China’s regime; M. N. Tholal attacks Indian ‘complacency’ in defence and foreign policy; and a Delhi Letter reports on the Prime Minister’s framing of the issues before Parliament. The issue also carries an Economic Supplement, a section on press freedom (Nehru on freedom of the press), book reviews, ‘Gleanings from the Press’, ‘News and Views’, and a letters column. Throughout, the journal presses a classical-liberal, anti-Communist line and its standing slogan, ‘Make English the lingua franca of India.‘

Essays

India Can Still Save South-East Asia

The unsigned lead editorial argues that despite the 1962 reverses, India retains the moral and strategic standing to lead South-East Asia in resisting Chinese Communist expansion, provided it abandons the illusions of non-alignment and confronts the nature of the Peking regime directly. It frames the China threat as ideological as well as military and urges a clear Western-aligned posture.

• India can still rally South-East Asian states against Chinese expansion if it acts decisively
• Non-alignment is treated as a liability after the 1962 border war
• The threat from China is cast as both military and ideological
• Calls for clarity about the character of the Communist regime in Peking

The Nature of the Red Regime of China

By MA Venkata Rao

M. A. Venkata Rao examines the character of the ‘Red Regime’ in China, tracing how the Communist Party consolidated power and arguing that its totalitarian methods and expansionist aims make accommodation impossible. He reads the regime through its own doctrine and contrasts it with liberal and democratic alternatives.

• Analyses the consolidation and methods of Communist rule in China
• Treats the regime as totalitarian and expansionist by design
• Argues its doctrine precludes genuine accommodation with neighbours
• Positions liberal democracy as the contrasting alternative

Complacency With A Vengeance

By By M. N. Tholal

M. N. Tholal’s ‘Complacency With A Vengeance’ is a polemic against what he sees as Indian leaders’ — and Nehru’s — complacency in defence and foreign affairs, written in the shadow of the China debacle. He charges that official self-assurance and slogans have substituted for serious preparedness.

• Attacks official complacency in defence and foreign policy
• Written against the backdrop of the 1962 Chinese attack
• Criticises reliance on slogans over substantive preparedness
• Implicates the political leadership, including Nehru

Delhi Letter: Prime Minister Frames the Issues

The Delhi Letter reports on the Prime Minister framing the issues before Parliament in the wake of the border conflict, covering parliamentary debate on defence, the economy and foreign policy. It includes discussion of personal taxation and budgetary matters under an economic-supplement heading.

• Reports the Prime Minister’s framing of national issues in Parliament
• Covers post-war defence and economic debate in Delhi
• Touches on personal taxation and fiscal questions

India’s Strategy In Sino-Indian Conflict

By By Indira Avasty

Indira Avasty’s short piece sets out a strategy for India in the Sino-Indian conflict, weighing alliances, non-alignment and the question of foreign military aid in defending against further Chinese pressure.

• Proposes a strategic posture for India in the Sino-Indian conflict
• Engages the choice between non-alignment and Western support
• Frames defence against China as the immediate priority

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