‘Patel: Political Ideas and Policies’ review: Challenge and strategy

How Patel mobilised India before and after Independence

This is a timely book to set Sardar Patel’s legacy right — as he is being usurped by political parties, from the Congress which had long forgotten him, and the party in power claiming him by erecting the tallest statue in his honour. A collection of papers presented during two workshops at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in 2017, the book is an interdisciplinary study of different facets of Patel as a leading advocate, freedom fighter, organiser of well-knit groups and an able administrator.

The preface by Himanshu Roy and an informative introduction by Shakti Sinha, director of NMML, give a clear picture of the contents that deal with Patel’s administrative skills, efficient handling of the humongous task of integration of Indian States and his ideas of governance. Patel, a sought after barrister in India, shunned the lucrative practice, attracted by Gandhi’s Champaran movement. Under Gandhi’s guidance he led the Kheda agitation, the first full-fledged satyagraha, successfully. While Congress in its early days had mostly elitist leaders it was Patel who mobilised the common people and farmers in the movement through the Gujarat Sabha.

In a chapter that elucidates Patel’s administrative skills and his pragmatic approach in retaining former ICS officers with their conditions of service, much against the wish of some of the senior Congress leaders, the author details the clarity and decisiveness in Patel’s approach. He knew India needed such experienced civil servants to build a new nation.

In his well-argued essay, Balaji Ranganathan highlights Patel’s quality to implement ideas in the administration, staying within the framework of Gandhi’s Satyagraha.

There is an important essay about Patel and minorities. Patel had been accused by Opposition parties and critics that he was against the minorities.

N.K. Jha clarifies this point with instances, quoting Patel on many occasions supporting minorities, both in speech and action. When Nehru wanted separate colonies for returning Muslims, Patel was against it, not because he was against Muslims but he was against ghettoisation, forming distinct pockets of religious groups leading to social problems, demolishing the myth that Patel was only pro-Hindu.

The last chapter is on Patel’s economic ideas and its author says, like Gandhi, Patel believed that political freedom must match economic freedom. The only jarring note in an otherwise excellent study of Patel as a decisive leader and administrator is Roy’s conclusion that starts with a hypothesis of Patel as prime minister and faults Nehru for most problems in the wake of freedom.

(Patel: Political Ideas and Policies edited by Shakti Sinha & Himanshu Roy and published by Sage. It is priced at ₹895)