I finished reading India After Gandhi some time back and had came across criticisms of Mr. Guha that he was pro-Congress - which in present day scenario is quite scandalous.
But in due course of time I have realized that this argument against the eminent historian is misplaced. In his book, Patriots and Partisans, he has been very harsh on Congress for corruption. More over, in IAG he has remarked at one place that the decline of Indian politics - nepotism, favoritism and all the maladies that plague national politics today took roots during the prime-ministership of Indira Gandhi. (I am not discrediting Mrs. Gandhi of whatever good decisions she took.)
Today I got a chance to watch a documentary about Bhindranwale and was shocked to know that he was patronized by the Congress to gain back influence in Punjab. Maybe I have been less-informed but this fact was a revelation to me. Bhindranwale grew like a cancer and had to be eliminated via a surgical military operation, marking one of the darkest episodes in Indian history.
P.S - If interested, read Mark Tully's book on Operation BlueStar.
No comments:
Post a Comment