Free India's government faced many challenges
emerging due to the fall-out of partition like the communal
violence in West and East India, problem of immigrants and
resettlement, food shortages, official indifference, administrative
breakdown, and overburdened civic and utility services.
Added, Pakistan that included West and East Pakistan started
creating problems for Indian government. It reached a culminating
stage where the educated and intellectuals of East Pakistan
[now Bangladesh ] impressed upon the Indian government to uphold
and protect Bangla people's independent identity. The West Pakistani
soldiers in East Pakistan went on a genocidal rampage for 9
months and exterminated 3 million unarmed civilians. India did
its best to help the Bangladesh University teachers and students
in their armed resistance for national liberation. Finally in
an open war, the Indian forces overwhelmed Pakistan 's army.
In 1971, Bangladesh became independent, but getting due credit
as a nation borne out of India .
India as seen today is a world power, and draws its strength
from its proven nuclear technology, and information technology.
With the wave of liberalization sweeping India since the beginning
of 90s, has made India an economic competitor to US, Europe,
Japan and China . The hopes of every Indian - young and old
are high, and for sure India is to re-enact soon the golden
age, as experienced under imperial Guptas.
(On June 3, 1947, Viscount Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last
British Governor-General of India, announced the partition
of the British Indian Empire in India and Pakistan, under
the provisions of the Indian Independence Act of 1947 . At
the stroke of midnight, August 15, 1947, India became an independent
nation. It was preceded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's famous
speech entitled Tryst with destiny.
"At the stroke of midnight, when the world sleeps, India
will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes
but rarely in history, when he moved from the old to the new,
an era in which ends, and when the soul of a nation, long
suppressed, finds said today ..... We end of a period of bad
luck and India rediscovers. "
Prime Minister Nehru and the Deputy Prime Minister Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel Lord Mountbatten invited to continue as
Governor-General of India. He was replaced in June 1948 by
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari. Patel took on the responsibility
to unify the 565 princely states, the direction of the efforts
of his "iron fist in a velvet glove" policy, as
exemplified by the use of military force to integrate Junagadh,
Jammu and Kashmir and India Hyderabad state. J & K is
a part of India when Pakistan and then besieged king Maharaja
Hari Singh had signed the instrument of accession with India
to save J & K from Pakistan. India replied on behalf of
J & K, sending its armed forces to counter the Pakistani
attack. Later PM Nehru went to the United Nations and a ceasefire
was declared. Pakistan has not withdrawn its military forces
from occupied Kashmir, the territory and termed as POK (Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir), has always been a source of contention between India
and Pakistan.
The Constituent Assembly has completed the work of drafting
the constitution, November 26, 1949, January 26, 1950, the
Republic of India was officially proclaimed. The Constituent
Assembly elected Dr. Rajendra Prasad, as the first President
of India, taking over from Governor General Rajgopalachari.
Subsequently, a free and sovereign India absorbed two other
territories: Goa (released Portuguese control in 1961) and
Pondicherry (which France ceded in 1954). In 1952, India held
its first general elections, with a voter turnout exceeding
62%, in practice, this has made India the largest democratic
country in the history of the ancient and modern world. )
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