Editing Jawaharlal Nehru (section)

== Prime Minister of India (1947–1964) ==
[[File:Teen Murti Bhavan in New Delhi.jpg|thumb|alt=See caption |[[Teen Murti Bhavan]], Nehru's official residence as prime minister, is now a museum.]]
Nehru served as prime minister for 16 years, initially as the interim prime minister, then from 1947 as the prime minister of the Dominion of India and then from 1950 as the prime minister of the Republic of India.

=== Republicanism ===

Nehru showed his concern for the princely states of South Asia since 1920s.  During his Presidential Address at the Lahore session in 1929, Nehru had declared that, "The Indian States cannot live apart from the rest of India and their rulers must, unless they accept their inevitable limitations, go the way of others like them."<ref>{{cite book | last=Bombwall | first=K.R. | title=The Foundations of Indian Federalism | publisher=Asia Publishing House | year=1967 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pFYLAQAAIAAJ| page=151}}</ref>

In July 1946, Nehru pointedly observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Menon|first1=Shivshankar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eaWWDwAAQBAJ|title=India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present|date=2021|isbn=978-0-670-09129-4|publisher=Brookings Institution Press|pages=34}}</ref> In January 1947, he said that independent India would not accept the [[divine right of kings]].<ref>Lumby, E. W. R. 1954. ''The Transfer of Power in India, 1945–1947''. London: [[George Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]]. p. 228</ref> In May 1947, he declared that any [[princely state]] which refused to join the [[Constituent Assembly of India|Constituent Assembly]] would be treated as an enemy state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=172053|title=Sardar Patel – Man who United India|date=30 October 2017|first=Aaditya|last=Tiwari|website=Press Information Bureau |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327011611/https://pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=172053 |archive-date= 27 March 2023}}</ref> Vallabhbhai Patel and V. P. Menon were more conciliatory towards the princes, and as the men charged with integrating the states, were successful in the task.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/how-vallabhbhai-patel-v-p-menon-and-mountbatten-unified-india-4915468/|title=How Vallabhbhai Patel, V P Menon and Mountbatten unified India|date=31 October 2017 |website=The Indian Express |url-access=subscription |first1= Adrija |last1=Roychowdhury |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327134148/https://indianexpress.com/article/research/how-vallabhbhai-patel-v-p-menon-and-mountbatten-unified-india-4915468/ |archive-date= 27 March 2023}}</ref> During the drafting of the Indian constitution, many Indian leaders (except Nehru) were in favour of allowing each princely state or covenanting state to be independent as a federal state along the lines suggested originally by the Government of India Act 1935. But as the drafting of the constitution progressed, and the idea of forming a republic took concrete shape, it was decided that all the princely states/covenanting states would merge with the Indian republic.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The Unification of India, 1947–1951|author=Furber, Holden|year=1951|journal=[[Pacific Affairs]]|volume=24|issue=4|pages=352–371|doi=10.2307/2753451|jstor=2753451|author-link=Holden Furber}}</ref>

In 1963, Nehru brought in legislation making it illegal to demand secession and introduced the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution which makes it necessary for those running for office to take an oath that says "I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India".<ref>{{cite book|title=Sri Lanka, the Years of Terror: The J.V.P. Insurrection, 1987–1989|author=C.A. Chandraprema|year=1991|page=81|publisher=Lake House Bookshop|isbn=9789559029038 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GmRuAAAAMAAJ|quote=Nehru brought in legislation making illegal the demand for secession in 1963. Thereafter, the DMK dropped its demand for a "Dravida Nadu".}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lw7z_JOnv0sC|title=Small Arms Control: Old Weapons, New Issues|quote=Although the campaign for secession has reached its apex in Kashmir, the first Indian state to agitate for separatism was Tamil Nadu. In 1963, in response to the vociferous campaign for a Dravidastan, Premier Nehru introduced the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution, making it mandatory for those running for office to take an oath stating, "I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India".|author= Jayantha Dhanapala, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research|publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]]|year=1999|isbn=9780754620761}}</ref>

=== Independence, Dominion of India: 1947–1950 ===
[[File:Lord Mountbatten swears in Jawaharlal Nehru as the first Prime Minister of free India on Aug 15, 1947.jpg|thumb|300px|alt=See caption |[[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Mountbatten]] swears in Nehru as the first Prime Minister of independent India on 15 August 1947]]

The period before independence in early 1947 was impaired by outbreaks of communal violence and political disorder, and the opposition of the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who were demanding a separate Muslim state of Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lfcvAQAAIAAJ&q=After+failed+bid+to+form+coalition,+Nehru+reluctantly+supported+the+partition+of+India,+according+to+a+plan+released+by+the+British+on+3+June+1947.|isbn = 978-81-7041-859-7|title = Encyclopaedia Indica: Independent India and wars – I|year = 1996|publisher = Anmol Publications}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x1MwAQAAIAAJ&q=After+failed+bid+to+form+coalition,+Nehru+reluctantly+supported+the+partition+of+India,+according+to+a+plan+released+by+the+British+on+3+June+1947.|isbn = 978-81-261-3745-9|title = Encyclopaedia of Indian War of Independence, 1857–1947: Gandhi era : Jawahar Lal Nehru and Sardar Patel|year = 2009|publisher = Anmol Publications}}</ref>

==== Independence ====
{{main|Tryst with Destiny}}
He took office as the [[prime minister of India]] on 15&nbsp;August and delivered his inaugural address titled "[[Tryst with Destiny]]".

<blockquote>Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Jawaharlal|last=Nehru|date=30 April 2007|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/may/01/greatspeeches|title=A Tryst with Destiny|access-date=16 August 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524211546/https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/may/01/greatspeeches |archive-date=24 May 2014|work=[[TheGuardian.com]]}}</ref></blockquote>

==== Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi: 1948 ====
{{Main|Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi|The light has gone out of our lives|l2 = Nehru's address on Gandhi}}
[[File:Nehru visiting Srinagar Brigade Headquarters Military Hospital in May 1948.jpg|thumb|right|Nehru visiting an Indian soldier recovering from injuries at the Brigade Headquarters Military Hospital in Srinagar, Kashmir]]

On 30 January 1948, Gandhi was shot while he was walking in the garden of Birla House on his way to address a prayer meeting. The assassin, [[Nathuram Godse]], was a [[Hindu nationalist]] with links to the extremist [[Hindu Mahasabha]] party, who held Gandhi responsible for weakening India by insisting upon a payment to Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/the-politics-of-an-assassination-who-killed-gandhi-and-why/story-iUJqKjuw0sP9nAfc5KcOII.html|title=The politics of an assassination: Who killed Gandhi and why?|date=15 August 2015|first=Abhishek|last=Saha|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=13 December 2021|archive-date=13 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213151236/https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/the-politics-of-an-assassination-who-killed-gandhi-and-why/story-iUJqKjuw0sP9nAfc5KcOII.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nehru addressed the nation by radio:

<blockquote>Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, and I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that; nevertheless, we will not see him again, as we have seen him for these many years, we will not run to him for advice or seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow, not only for me but for millions and millions in this country.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Janak Raj Jai|url={{Google books|5Wrc1K0uJTgC|page=PA45|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=1947–1980|publisher=Regency Publications|year=1996|isbn=978-81-86030-23-3|pages=45–47}}</ref></blockquote>

[[Yasmin Khan]] argued that Gandhi's death and funeral helped consolidate the authority of the new Indian state under Nehru and Patel. The Congress tightly controlled the epic public displays of grief over a two-week period—the funeral, mortuary rituals and distribution of the martyr's ashes with millions participating in different events.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/boundaries-of-belonging/performing-the-state-in-post1947-india-and-pakistan/51E29D5CE278C3362B5D10B45D35C71F/core-reader|title=Boundaries of Belonging|chapter='Performing the State' in Post-1947 India and Pakistan|date=2019|publisher=Cambridge University Press|first1=Sarah|last1=Ansari|first2=William|last2=Gould|pages=23–66|doi=10.1017/9781108164511.003|isbn=978-1-107-19605-6|s2cid=211394653|access-date=11 September 2021|archive-date=11 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911043326/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/boundaries-of-belonging/performing-the-state-in-post1947-india-and-pakistan/51E29D5CE278C3362B5D10B45D35C71F/core-reader|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/78902926.pdf|title=Performing Peace: Gandhi's assassination as a critical moment in the consolidation of the Nehruvian state|first=Yasmin|last=Khan|website=[[core.ac.uk]]|access-date=11 September 2021|archive-date=11 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911043329/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/78902926.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The goal was to assert the power of the government, legitimise the Congress party's control and suppress all religious paramilitary groups. Nehru and Patel suppressed the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS), the Muslim National Guards, and the [[Khaksars]], with some 200,000 arrests.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Khan |first1=Yasmin |year=2011|title=Performing Peace: Gandhi's assassination as a critical moment in the consolidation of the Nehruvian state |journal=[[Modern Asian Studies]] |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=57–80 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X10000223|s2cid=144894540 |doi-access=free}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Gandhi's death and funeral linked the distant state with the Indian people and helped them to understand the need to suppress religious parties during the transition to independence for the Indian people.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Performing Peace: Gandhi's assassination as a critical moment in the consolidation of the Nehruvian state|first=Yasmin|last=Khan|date=12 January 2011|journal=Modern Asian Studies|volume=45|issue=1|pages=57–80|doi=10.1017/S0026749X10000223|s2cid=144894540|doi-access=free}}</ref> In later years, there emerged a revisionist school of history which sought to blame Nehru for the partition of India, mostly referring to his highly [[centralised]] policies for an independent India in 1947, which Jinnah opposed in favour of a more [[decentralised]] India.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gandhi-jinnah-both-failed-jaswant/99323-37.html |title=Gandhi, Jinnah both failed: Jaswant |last=Thapar |first=Karan |date=17 August 2009 |author-link=Karan Thapar |publisher=ibnlive.in.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703195004/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gandhi-jinnah-both-failed-jaswant/99323-37.html |archive-date=3 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/After-Advani-Jaswant-turns-Jinnah-admirer/articleshow/4900326.cms |title=After Advani, Jaswant turns Jinnah admirer |date=17 August 2009 |access-date=15 August 2021 |work=[[The Economic Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020021442/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/After-Advani-Jaswant-turns-Jinnah-admirer/articleshow/4900326.cms |archive-date=20 October 2017 |location=India}}</ref>

==== Integration of states and Adoption of New Constitution: 1947–1950 ====
{{See also|Political integration of India|States Reorganisation Act, 1956}}
[[File:Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi.jpg|thumb|alt=See caption |[[Indira Gandhi]], Nehru, [[Rajiv Gandhi]] and [[Sanjay Gandhi]] in June 1949]]
The British Indian Empire, which included present-day India, Pakistan, and [[Bangladesh]], was divided into two types of territories: the provinces of British India, which were governed directly by British officials responsible to the [[Viceroy]] of India; and princely states, under the rule of local hereditary rulers who recognised British [[suzerainty]] in return for local autonomy, in most cases as established by a treaty.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/thread/politics-and-policy/article8366115.ece |title=Maps are malleable. Even Bharat Mata's |last=Ghosh |first=Bishwanath |date=17 March 2016 |access-date=15 August 2021 |work=[[The Hindu]] |archive-date=2 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302163809/https://www.thehindu.com/thread/politics-and-policy/article8366115.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> Between 1947 and about 1950, the territories of the princely states were politically integrated into the Indian Union under Nehru and Sardar Patel. Most were merged into existing provinces; others were organised into new provinces, such as [[Rajputana]], Himachal Pradesh, [[Madhya Bharat]], and [[Vindhya Pradesh]], made up of multiple princely states; a few, including Mysore, Hyderabad, Bhopal and Bilaspur, became separate provinces.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Adrija|last=Roychowdhury|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/five-states-that-refused-to-join-india-after-independence/|title=Five states that refused to join India after Independence|date=17 August 2017|access-date=15 August 2021|work=[[The Indian Express]]|archive-date=13 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113171155/https://indianexpress.com/article/research/five-states-that-refused-to-join-india-after-independence/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Government of India Act 1935 remained the constitutional law of India the pending adoption of a new Constitution.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/time-to-recall-efforts-made-to-create-the-constitution/article8177274.ece|title=Time to recall efforts made to create the Constitution|first=Mohamed Imranullah|last=S.|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=1 February 2016|access-date=15 August 2021|archive-date=3 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603213805/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/time-to-recall-efforts-made-to-create-the-constitution/article8177274.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Nehrucon.jpg|thumb|alt=See caption |Nehru signing the [[Indian Constitution]] c.1950]]
In December 1946, Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution. This resolution, upon Nehru's suggestion, ultimately turned into the [[Preamble to the Constitution of India]]. The preamble is considered to be the spirit of the Constitution.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/preamble-embodies-constitution-s-vision/story-vLbo5CoBlXdmCgtSWb7v2K.html|title=Republic at 70: Preamble embodies Constitution's vision|first=Anurag|last=Bhaskar|newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=25 November 2022|access-date=12 March 2024|archive-date=11 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311200233/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/preamble-embodies-constitution-s-vision/story-vLbo5CoBlXdmCgtSWb7v2K.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-1682-preamble-the-spirit-of-constitution-of-india.html#google_vignette|title=Preamble the Spirit of Constitution of India|first=Dinesh|last=Chauhan|access-date=12 March 2024|archive-date=11 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311200600/https://legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-1682-preamble-the-spirit-of-constitution-of-india.html#google_vignette|url-status=live}}</ref> The new [[Constitution of India]], which came into force on [[Republic Day (India)|26&nbsp;January 1950]] (Republic Day), made India a sovereign democratic republic. The new republic was declared to be a "Union of States".<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VWJ2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT167 |title=Patel: Political Ideas and Policies |last1=Sinha |first1=Shakti |last2=Roy |first2=Himanshu |date=2018 |isbn=978-93-5280-854-0|publisher=Sage Publications}}</ref>

=== Election of 1952 ===
[[File:Jawaharlal Nehru 1951-52 election poster.jpg|thumb|232x232px|Nehru as the main campaigner of the Indian National Congress, 1951–52 elections]]
After the adoption of the constitution on 26&nbsp;November 1949, the Constituent Assembly continued to act as the interim parliament until new elections. Nehru's interim cabinet consisted of 15 members from diverse communities and parties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/september-2-when-indias-interim-govt-was-formed-in-1946-5959889/|title=Explained: When India's interim government was formed in 1946|first=Om|last=Marathe|date=3 September 2019|access-date=15 August 2021|website=The Indian Express|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602212412/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/september-2-when-indias-interim-govt-was-formed-in-1946-5959889/|url-status=live}}</ref> The first elections to Indian legislative bodies (National parliament and State assemblies ) under the new constitution of India were held in [[1951–52 Indian general election|1952]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=India's General Elections|author=Park, Richard Leonard|year=1952|journal=[[Far Eastern Survey]]|volume=21|issue=1|pages=1–8|doi=10.2307/3024683|jstor=3024683}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4kNnAAAAMAAJ&q=The+first+elections+to+Indian+legislative+bodies+(National+parliament+and+State+assemblies+)+under+the+new+constitution+of+India+were+held+in+%5B%5B1951%E2%80%9352+Indian+general+election%7C1952%5D%5D.|title = Indian and Foreign Review|year = 1969|publisher = Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}</ref> The Congress party under Nehru's leadership won a large majority at both state and national levels.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/40209795|title=Democracy's Biggest Gamble: India's First Free Elections in 1952|author=Guha, Ramachandra|author-link=Ramachandra Guha|year=2002|journal=[[World Policy Journal]]|volume=19|issue=1|pages=95–103|doi=10.1215/07402775-2002-2005|jstor=40209795|access-date=29 May 2021|archive-date=3 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603213921/https://www.jstor.org/stable/40209795|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Tenure: 1952–1957===
In December 1953, Nehru appointed the [[States Reorganisation Commission]] to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines. Headed by Justice [[Fazal Ali]], the commission itself was also known as the Fazal Ali Commission.<ref name="Koshi">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/explainer-reorganization-states-india-and-why-it-happened-52273 |title=Explainer: The reorganization of states in India and why it happened |last=Koshi |first=Luke |date=2 November 2016 |website=[[The News Minute]] |access-date=3 April 2019 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403133426/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/explainer-reorganization-states-india-and-why-it-happened-52273 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Govind Ballabh Pant]], who served as Nehru's [[home minister]] from December 1954, oversaw the commission's efforts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/govind-ballabh-pants-death-anniversary-remembering-the-first-chief-minister-of-uttar-pradesh-3507449.html|title=Govind Ballabh Pant's Death Anniversary: Remembering the First Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh|date=7 March 2021|access-date=15 August 2021|website=[[News18]]|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214429/https://www.news18.com/news/india/govind-ballabh-pants-death-anniversary-remembering-the-first-chief-minister-of-uttar-pradesh-3507449.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The commission created a report in 1955 recommending the reorganisation of India's states.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/state-of-the-nation/307830/0|title=State of the Nation|date=11 May 2008|access-date=15 August 2021|website=[[The Indian Express]]|archive-date=19 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319080002/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/state-of-the-nation/307830/0|url-status=live}}</ref>

Under the [[Seventh Amendment of the Constitution of India|Seventh Amendment]], the existing distinction between Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D states was abolished. The distinction between Part A and Part B states was removed, becoming known simply as [[States of india|''states'']]s.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Suraj Surjit|last=Chaudhary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nj8jEAAAQBAJ|isbn=978-93-90252-05-3|title=Critical Commentary on the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019 and Allied Laws|date=2021|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]]}}</ref> A new type of entity, the ''[[union territory]]'', replaced the classification as a Part C or Part D state. Nehru stressed commonality among Indians and promoted [[pan-Indianism]], refusing to reorganise states on either religious or ethnic lines.<ref name="Koshi" />

=== Subsequent elections: 1957, 1962 ===
In the [[1957 Indian general election|1957 elections]], under Nehru's leadership, the [[Indian National Congress]] easily won a second term in power, taking 371 of the 494 seats. They gained an extra seven seats (the size of the Lok Sabha had been increased by five) and their vote share increased from 45.0% to 47.8%. The INC won nearly five times more votes than the [[Communist Party of India|Communist Party]], the second-largest party.<ref>{{Cite web|title=1957 India General (2nd Lok Sabha) Elections Results|url=https://www.elections.in/parliamentary-constituencies/1957-election-results.html|access-date=31 August 2020|website=www.elections.in|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727170609/https://www.elections.in/parliamentary-constituencies/1957-election-results.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[1962 Indian general election|1962]], Nehru led the Congress to victory with a diminished majority. The numbers who voted for the [[Indian Communist Party|Communist]] and socialist parties grew, although some right-wing groups like [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]] also did well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://zeenews.india.com/lok-sabha-general-elections-2019/the-story-of-1962-lok-sabha-election-all-you-need-to-know-2185457.html|title=INKredible India: The story of 1962 Lok Sabha election – All you need to know|date=6 March 2019|first=Shubhodeep|last=Chakravarty|website=Zee News|access-date=21 December 2021|archive-date=21 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221165502/https://zeenews.india.com/lok-sabha-general-elections-2019/the-story-of-1962-lok-sabha-election-all-you-need-to-know-2185457.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 1961 annexation of Goa ===
{{See also|Annexation of Goa}}
After years of failed negotiations, Krishna Menon ordered the [[Indian Army]] to invade Portuguese-controlled [[Portuguese India]] (Goa) in 1961, after which Nehru formally annexed it to India. It increased the popularity of both  in India, but he was criticised by the communist opposition in India for the use of military force.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-liberation-of-goa/article22339624.ece |title=The liberation of Goa |last=Davar |first=Praveen |date=31 December 2017 |access-date=15 August 2021 |work=[[The Hindu]] |archive-date=1 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201055746/https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-liberation-of-goa/article22339624.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Sino-Indian War of 1962 ===
{{See also|Sino-Indian War}}
[[File:India disputed areas map.svg|thumb|alt=See caption |Map showing [[List of disputed territories of India|disputed territories of India]]]]

From 1959, in a process that accelerated in 1961, Nehru adopted the "[[Forward policy (Sino-Indian conflict)|Forward Policy]]" of setting up military outposts in disputed areas of the Sino-Indian border, including 43 outposts in territory not previously controlled by India.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Noorani |first=A.G. |title=Perseverance in the peace process |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2017/stories/20030829001604900.htm |date=29 August 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050326174852/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2017/stories/20030829001604900.htm |archive-date=26 March 2005 |work=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] |publisher=hinduonnet.com |access-date=15 August 2021}}</ref> China attacked some of these outposts, and the [[Sino-Indian War]] began, which India lost. The war ended with China announcing a unilateral ceasefire and with its forces withdrawing to 20 kilometres behind the [[line of actual control]] of 1959.<ref>{{cite book | last=Klintworth | first=G. | title=China's India War: A Question of Confidence | publisher=Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University | series=Working paper (Australian National University. Strategic and Defence Studies Centre) | year=1987 | isbn=978-0-7315-0087-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nt65AAAAIAAJ| page=10|quote=China declared a unilateral ceasefire and by December it had withdrawn its forces to positions 20 km behind the line of actual control that had existed in 1959}}</ref>

The war exposed the unpreparedness of India's military, which could send only 14,000 troops to the war zone in opposition to the much larger [[Chinese Army]], and Nehru was widely criticised for his government's insufficient attention to defence. In response, defence minister V. K. Krishna Menon resigned and Nehru sought [[US military aid]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O4JIDwAAQBAJ|title=Comrades against Imperialism: Nehru, India, and Interwar Internationalism|page=195|publisher=Cambridge University Press|quote=Menon resigned under India's military preparedness failed to prevent a Chinese invasion during the Sino-Indian war of 1962|author=Michele L. Louro |year=2018|isbn=9781108419307}}</ref> Nehru's improved relations with the US under [[John F. Kennedy]] proved useful during the war, as in 1962, the [[president of Pakistan]] (then closely aligned with the Americans) Ayub Khan was made to guarantee his neutrality regarding India, threatened by "[[communist]] aggression from Red China".<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,842104-10,00.html |title=Asia: Ending the Suspense |date=17 September 1965 |access-date=15 August 2021 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521075607/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C842104-10%2C00.html |archive-date=21 May 2013}}</ref> India's relationship with the Soviet Union, criticised by right-wing groups supporting [[free-market]] policies, was also seemingly validated. Nehru would continue to maintain his commitment to the non-aligned movement, despite calls from some to settle down on one permanent ally.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cold-wars/alternative-world-visions/2D0ABD3F6605FE74F3307698D7989643|title=Alternative World Visions|editor-first=Lorenz M.|editor-last=Lüthi|date=2020|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|pages=261–328|isbn=978-1-108-41833-1|access-date=10 July 2021|archive-date=10 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710103427/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cold-wars/alternative-world-visions/2D0ABD3F6605FE74F3307698D7989643|url-status=live}}</ref>

The unpreparedness of the army was blamed on Defence Minister Menon, who "resigned" from his government post to allow for someone who might modernise India's military further. India's policy of weaponisation using indigenous sources and self-sufficiency began in earnest under Nehru, completed by his daughter Indira Gandhi, who later led India to a crushing military victory over rival Pakistan in 1971. Toward the end of the war, India had increased her support for Tibetan refugees and revolutionaries, some of them having settled in India, as they were fighting the same common enemy in the region. Nehru ordered the raising of an elite Indian-trained "Tibetan Armed Force" composed of Tibetan refugees, which served with distinction in future wars against Pakistan in 1965 and 1971.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/07/tibetans-in-exile-india-elections-right-to-vote |title=Tibetans-in-exile divided over right to vote in Indian elections |last=Sehgal |first=Saransh |date=7 May 2014 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=18 December 2018 |archive-date=18 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218193314/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/07/tibetans-in-exile-india-elections-right-to-vote |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Popularity ===
[[File:Jawaharlal Nehru with Einstein, 1949.jpg|thumb|alt=See caption |Nehru with [[Albert Einstein]] in Princeton, New Jersey, 1949]]
[[File:Jawaharlal Nehru's motorcade passing through the crowded streets of Djakarta, Indonesia,1950.jpg|thumb|right|Nehru with Indonesian president [[Sukarno]] in [[Jakarta]] in 1950]]
[[File:Jawaharlal Nehru with tiger cubs.jpg|thumb|Nehru playing with a tiger cub at his home in 1955]]

To date, Nehru is considered the most popular prime minister, winning three consecutive elections with around 45% of the vote.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/after-nehru-and-indira-modi-is-only-pm-to-come-back-to-power-with-full-majority/articleshow/69464495.cms?from=mdr|title=After Nehru and Indira, Modi is only PM to come back to power with full majority|date=23 May 2019|newspaper=The Economic Times|access-date=22 August 2021|archive-date=22 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822094451/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/after-nehru-and-indira-modi-is-only-pm-to-come-back-to-power-with-full-majority/articleshow/69464495.cms?from=mdr|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[Pathé News]] archive video reporting Nehru's death remarks "Neither on the political stage nor in moral stature was his leadership ever challenged".<ref>{{Citation|title=World Mourns Nehru (1964)| date=13 April 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pcR3eceOf4|access-date=31 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731192854/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pcR3eceOf4|archive-date=31 July 2021}}</ref> In his book ''Verdicts on Nehru'', [[Ramachandra Guha]] cited a contemporary account that described what Nehru's 1951–52 Indian general election campaign looked like:

<blockquote>Almost at every place, city, town, village or wayside halt, people had waited overnight to welcome the nation's leader. Schools and shops closed; milkmaids and cowherds had taken a holiday; the kisan and his helpmate took a temporary respite from their dawn-to-dusk programme of hard work in field and home. In Nehru's name, stocks of soda and lemonade sold out; even water became scarce ... Special trains were run from out-of-the-way places to carry people to Nehru's meetings, enthusiasts travelling not only on footboards but also on top of carriages. Scores of people fainted in milling crowds.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Guha|first=Ramachandra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tDikAwAAQBAJ&q=Almost+at+every+place,+city&pg=PT9|title=Verdicts on Nehru|date=2013|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|isbn=978-93-5118-757-8}}</ref></blockquote>

In the 1950s, Nehru was admired by world leaders such as British prime minister Winston Churchill, and US President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. A letter from Eisenhower to Nehru, dated 27 November 1958, read:

<Blockquote>Universally you are recognised as one of the most powerful influences for peace and conciliation in the world. I believe that because you are a world leader for peace in your individual capacity, as well as a representative of the largest neutral nation....<ref>{{Cite web|series=Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, South and Southeast Asia, Volume XV – Office of the Historian|url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v15/d222|access-date=31 July 2021|title=Letter From President Eisenhower to Prime Minister Nehru|date=27 November 1958|website=history.state.gov|archive-date=31 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731192904/https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v15/d222|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

In 1955, Churchill called Nehru, the light of Asia, and a greater light than [[Gautama Buddha]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Nayantara Sahgal|title=Jawaharlal Nehru: Civilizing a Savage World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KycnN-MlfY4C&pg=PP9 |year=2010|publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=978-0-670-08357-2|page=59}}</ref> Nehru is time and again described as a charismatic leader with a rare charm.{{efn|<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ian Hall|first=The Conversation|title=Nehru, the architect of modern India, also helped discredit European imperialism|url=https://scroll.in/article/1002353/nehru-the-architect-of-modern-india-also-helped-discredit-european-imperialism|access-date=15 November 2021|website=Scroll.in|date=22 August 2021|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115163627/https://scroll.in/article/1002353/nehru-the-architect-of-modern-india-also-helped-discredit-european-imperialism|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=How the ANC could fade away – Opinion |url=https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/how-the-anc-could-fade-away|access-date=15 November 2021|website=www.politicsweb.co.za|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115163628/https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/how-the-anc-could-fade-away|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=15 November 2021|title=UP Next: How Nehru, Swami Prabhu Dutt Brahmachari's ideas of India resonate in 2022 polls|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/up-next-how-nehru-swami-prabhu-dutt-brahmacharis-ideas-of-india-resonate-in-2022-polls-10136981.html|access-date=15 November 2021|website=Firstpost|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115041104/https://www.firstpost.com/india/up-next-how-nehru-swami-prabhu-dutt-brahmacharis-ideas-of-india-resonate-in-2022-polls-10136981.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=PM Modi Is a 'Charismatic' Leader Like Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi: Rajinikanth|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-pm-modi-is-a-chrarismatic-leader-like-jawaharlal-nehru-rajiv-gandhi-rajnikanth/331096|access-date=15 November 2015|website=outlookindia|archive-date=28 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528133731/https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-pm-modi-is-a-chrarismatic-leader-like-jawaharlal-nehru-rajiv-gandhi-rajnikanth/331096|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Service|first=Tribune News|title=A thousand lies can't dwarf the giant Nehru was|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/a-thousand-lies-cant-dwarf-the-giant-nehru-was-258860|access-date=15 November 2021|website=Tribuneindia News Service|archive-date=30 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330155854/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/a-thousand-lies-cant-dwarf-the-giant-nehru-was-258860|url-status=live}}</ref>}}