Noted historian and scholar Ramchandra Guha in one of his articles (link given at the bottom) narrates an example of statesmanship and political tolerance set by BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee while serving as foreign minister in the Janata Party govt in 1977. In the 1977 elections, the newly-formed Janata Party, in which BJP's erstwhile avatar Jana Sangh was merged, had trounced the Congress and formed the govt at the Centre.
When Vajpayee as Foreign Minister went to his office in South Block for the first time, he looked around, and immediately
spotted a blank space on the wall. (He knew the room well, as he had often
visited it as an Opposition MP.) "Panditji ki tasveer kahan
gayi? (Where is the portrait of Jawaharlal Nehru that used to hang
there?)." The officers present in the room remained silent. Actually, they had themselves removed Nehru’s portrait, thinking that Vajpayee who had been jailed during the 1975-77 Emergency by Indira Gandhi would detest her father Nehru. But Vajpayee commanded, "Wapas lao. Satara saal hamare videsh mantri rahe. (Bring back the portrait. He was our Foreign Minister for 17 years.) So Nehru's portrait was brought back.
The above anecdote shows Vajpayee's magnanimity as well as statesmanship in accepting the important role Nehru played as the first PM and as Foreign Minister in building modern India. In fact, Nehru was also highly impressed by Vajpayee's oratorial skills when the latter was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1957. He had reportedly told his fellow parliamentarians that this young MP would emerge as a big leader in future.
Now, see the contrast. Today potential PM Narendra Modi, belonging to the very party of Vajpayee, in his speeches seems to blame Nehru for all the ills afflicting the country. Young Indians also get carried away by Modi's speeches. But an impartial observer would give Nehru credit for laying the foundation of a democratic and plural India which provided an opportunity to people from backward castes, like Narendra Modi, Mayawati, and Laloo Prasad Yadav, to develop political leadership qualities and become national leaders.
Though Modi became a national leader by enjoying the fundamental rights bestowed upon him by the Indian democracy, he has coined the highly undemocratic slogan 'Congress-mukt Bharat' (Congress-free India). Many political leaders have great differences with BJP leaders. But nobody has ever coined the slogan 'BJP-mukt Bharat' (BJP-free India).
I think a true democrat knows well that in a liberal society like India's anybody within the framework of law has the
right to propagate his/her views or ideology. Does Modi need to be reminded of the requirement to tolerate one's opponents in a democratic polity?
Ramchandra Guha's article is available at the following link:
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