Editing Jawaharlal Nehru (section)

=== 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>