The Congress party may have inherited many faults from history and we may critique Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi or Indira Gandhi and so forth, but we should not forget the respect these leaders deservedly earned both within and outside the country.
Nehru still matters. He was a true democrat and held fast to his conviction that democracy was the right and correct path for India (“Why Nehru matters more than ever”, Aug.8). He scrupulously respected parliamentary traditions. Proof of this democratic tradition is the flawless way in which our elections take place and the smooth transition of power to the next government. He ushered in the concept of socialism and self-sufficiency, a popular path for nations of that time. This was largely inspired by the Russian model. He was instrumental in the setting up of large public sector corporations, and kickstarted our industrial foundation at a time when the private sector was sceptical about such large investments.
H.N. Ramakrishna,
Bengaluru
