Nehru
Democratic Socialism
Nehru Concept of Democratic Socialism is
different to that of mere socialism. He was an Indian Democratic Socialist.
Democratic socialist generally means that; the process of productions is
controlled socially while political democracy is along side with it. Nehru’s
concept of Democratic socialism includes both public and private sector in a
limited scale. Democracy and civil liberties was the backbone of Nehru’s
concept of Democratic Socialism.
From his early life, Nehru was influence
by socialism. During and after his college life in England he read and developed
the idea of Socialist theories. After years, his readings and condition of
India led to developed firm ideas on his subject.
His political carrer begins in 1919
where he participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement. He was the lifelong
followers and disciple of Gandhi even when there are frequent policy
differences. In his time, condition of India changes and this led him to adapt
his idea of Socialism. He was against capitalism and do not justified its
impact on economic development.
Nehru became the president of the
congress in 1939. In the 1941 Karachi session, the congress first shows its
pledge towards socialism. In 1943, the congress socialist party was formed,
Nehru shows sympathy but do not join the party as a member. The emergence of the
socialist create a drift between co-changer and pro-changer. Gandhi knows that
Nehru was the one who could bridge the gap. As a god father of the socialist
party, he was considered to be the left. He was Gandhi favourite son and was
tolerated by the Old guard. Nehru considered socialism as a gospel to social
and Economic development.
Generally, Socialism means equal
opportunity and equivalent distribution of higher income through modern science
and technology to the process of production, it marked the ending of acute
social and economic disparities which come from feudalism and capitalism.
Problems of the society are solved in a specific way. This led to the end of
social distinction and class domination. Nehru insists that first of all
socialism refers to greater production for there can be no equal distribution
of poverty. Socialism means greater production and equal distribution. In the
condition of India, socialist transformation was a process and not a event.
Some members of the congress felt that
socialism was a negation to individual freedom. But, in Nehru’s concept of
democratic socialism, there is a place for individual freedom and individual
enterprises. Nehru claims that there was no such contradiction between
democracy and socialism.
When Nehru came to hold his power, he
renewed his interest in development of welfare. The planning Commission was
introduced in March 1950. Nehru planned economic development with bias for
pragmatic rather than doctrinaire socialism. The Planning Commission enabled Nehru
to work on both economic and social development. The Five Year Plan not only
includes the scope for private and public sector but also foreign
participation. Thus, socialism was a philosophy of life for Nehru.
Nehru concept of socialism includes both
democracy and socialism. Without democracy, socialism was incomplete. The
Indian Democratic socialism was incomplete. The Indian Democratic socialism was
unique and even influences other countries; Nehru also derived positive
synthesis from the two opposing ideologies, capitalism and Communism.
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