Pandit Nehru, not Krishna Menon was the culprit

The news item in the Top stories titled “Nehru feared coup by Cariappa, claims book” (Pioneer,Nov 11), rightly notes that India's flawed China policy led to the Himalayan blunder.
But, it must be pointed out that, the flaw in India’s Foreign policy was due Pandit Nehru’s infatuation for Communism which had made him blind towards the designs Red China and Krishna Menon was just made a scapegoat.

If, we assume that Krishna Menon was really the reason, then it implies that Pandit Nehru was more dependent on his advisors judgments rather than his own. But, Pandit Nehru in his long political carrier has proved himself to be easily the most astute politician. Hence, it is very wrong to suggest that Nehru depended on others judgment or that he was powerless in front of Krishna Menon.Krishna Menon no doubts was a Communist. But, Pandit Nehru was himself a Communist, an admirer not only of the Soviet socio-political and economic system but also of the Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist ideology on which the Soviet system was based.

In his book “Soviet Russia: Some Random Sketches And Impressions” which is a compilation of series of articles by Pandit Nehru after his return from a visit to Moscow in November 1927, he writes “Russia thus interests us because it may help us to find some solution for the great problems which face the world today. It interests us specially because conditions there have not been, and are not even now, very dissimilar to conditions in India. Both are vast agricultural countries with only the beginnings of industrialization and both have to face poverty and illiteracy. If Russia finds a satisfactory solution for these, our work in India is made easier”1

In “Discovery of India” he writes- “"A study of Marx and Lenin produced a powerful effect on my mind and helped me to see history and current affairs in a new light. The long chain of history and of social development appeared to have some meaning, some sequence and the future lost some of its obscurity. The practical achievements of the Soviet Union were also tremendously impressive.”

These clearly show that Pandit Nehru was the real culprit behind Flawed India’s Foreign policy. Sita Ram Goel concludes- “If something is seriously wrong somewhere (In India’s Foreign policy), Pandit Nehru and not Krishna Menon is the real author of it. If we are in search of a culprit, we should get at Pandit Nehru and not at Krishna Menon”2

Sources-

1 http://www.voiceofdharma.com/books/gagon/ch02.htm

2 http://www.voiceofdharma.com/books/gagon/ch01.htm