18-05-2025
‘Sardar Patel, Nehru put aside differences to unite India': Historian Ramachandra Guha
Historian and author Ramachandra Guha, during the launch of the Gujarati edition of his book 'India After Gandhi' in Ahmedabad on Sunday, stated that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru had 'suppressed their differences' to unite the country.
'Some of you would have seen the letters that Nehru and Patel shared after Gandhi. They had differences, all of us have differences. But the way Patel and Nehru suppressed their differences and united this country, is an extraordinary story, which I tried to tell through my book. Had Nehru or Patel not been there, I would not be standing in front of you,' Guha stated.
'Patel united the country's territory. Nehru united it emotionally and psychologically. During the election campaign in 2014, a pernicious lie was told: Nehru did not attend Patel's funeral. They had the most extraordinary respect for each other… History taught on WhatsApp has made them rivals,' he said.
'Why does the world remember these comrades and co-workers as rivals? In my friend Gopalkrishna Gandhi's words, it's because the Congress after Nehru disowned Patel and BJP misowned Patel. Patel was a lifelong Congressman, which was forgotten since the time of Indira Gandhi…' Guha added.
Referring to his book, Guha also said, 'So it took the whole decade and I was determined not to let my personal biases come in, though you can't remove your biases but I ensured … and I will try writing as a scholar. I wanted to tell a history of India not from Delhi, not Delhi-centred. It has a lot on Nagaland, Kashmir, Mizoram and other states…'
