They ignored that the teacher of economics was odious even to harsh realities in framing his question to claim that first Prime Minister could not deliver a higher rate of economic development despite all conditions favourable to him. The intellectual dealing with economics may have preferred to ignore that the developed economies had free run, for nearly two centuries, of capitalism aided and abetted by imperialism and in turn capitalism serving imperialism. India had got released from yoke of foreign rule of two centuries and without economic structure and social development. The alien rules had merely exploited natural resources and human banks to mop their profits. Indian economy was based on underdeveloped agriculture that as not adequate even to meet hunger of Indians.

In addition India had to suffer the worst communal carnage a legacy left behind by departing British regime. The economist could not see through the achievement of building strong political institutions with adult universal franchise and assured free, fair and timely elections. Nehru did not embrace capitalism nor did he prefer communism and thus preserved fundamental rights of life, liberty and expression to Indians regardless of their denominations, castes, sectors, language of gender. Most developed nations did not have universal franchise in to provide voting rights to all their citizens. Was that not an achievement par excellence?

Literacy rate left behind by the British regime was merely 12 per cent. Today 83 per cent Indians are literate. Moreover 96 per cent children of India are attending schools. In America 43 per cent of poor children are unable to read or write. Could it have been possible without expansion of the education system infrastructure? Ever year young passing through the eight high technology Institutes IITs of India are offered jobs world over as the cream. They are not only serving but have also earned high reputation as best. They are backstay of most American services. The Silicon Valley, the pride sector of America on its West coast is overcrowded with Indian brains. Indians have revolutionised the communication sector to bring down the border barriers of every nation. They have done so with their base in free India.

India had chronic shortages of food grains and had to suffer humiliation every year to beg for food. Green Revolution transformed the chronic shortage into a problematic surplus to allow India to reach the top in rice exports for the last five years. Developed economies had taken century and half to reach what India achieved in merely six decades. In between India had to face three wars with Pakistan. India took on Pakistan despite the two strong military mights, America and China holding hands as allies of Pakistan, and that too without the Indian ally Soviet Union even raised its guns to aid India in 1971 war. Pakistan suffered the humiliating defeat and loss of its part in truncating by India. Yes. It is not an economic achievement.

India stunned the entire world with her success at the nuclear infusion test in May 1974 without any technological or scientific assistance from and despite pressures of the five nuclear club members. India had no doubt suffered isolation from all nations in nuclear technology but she did show again in 1998 that its experiment was not a fluke in 1974. India was able to break out of isolation in 2008 with the Nuclear energy agreement with America.

These are not achievements of any single government or a single ideology that ruled for six decades. Opening of the communication sector for private participation in 1994 with adequate changes in 2002 converted the sector in harbinger of social development and connected the entire country in a single communication network. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi can push today his pet programme of the advances in digitization and also drive for cashless deals only because he was given the basic structure to enable him to drive modernization at a rapid pace.

These are achievement of Indians as a whole lot and no single individual or party can claim monopoly. It has given a tremendous confidence to Indians as they are able to give their mandate every five years to their rulers. They can and they have taken risks in their selections, not of personalities but of ideas for which these persons stood for. In seven decades, Indians have emerged from bad dream of seven centuries of alien rule. In seven decades they have proved that they are equal, if not better than, to all other races. Instead of recognizing strength of Indians, they are being run down in order to malign an individual.

Whether or not Rahul Gandhi is capable of running his party or nation is to be decided by Indian voters. They cannot be denied their right to take risks for they are willing to pay for their mistakes. In attempt to belittle him, the enthusiastic young, self appointed soldiers of the regime are running down the Indian people. But they are so bigoted individuals that they cannot perceive harsh realities that India is great not due to its rulers but because of her people. They did take risk even in 2014 and Narendra Modi would need to prove to them their adventure was justified as they had believed in his electoral promises of taking India to a glorious future. His supporters are dragging his feet by misconceived notion that they can eliminate his opponents.