PM Modi reversed many decisions of former PM Pandit Nehru.
The discussion of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in Narendra Modi’s speeches and questions on his decisions are not without reason. There is nothing personal in this. This is purely a result of difference of ideas and policies. Pandit Nehru always mentioned the thinking of Sangh-Jansangh and described them as communal. It taught us that communalism of the majority is more dangerous than that of the minorities. Nehru’s heirs carried forward this thinking. On the other hand, Sangh – Jan Sangh – BJP continued their progress journey amidst the struggles, terming it as appeasement for the vote bank.
In 2014, 50 years after the death of Pandit Nehru in 1964, Narendra Modi, a determined man initiated in the values of the Sangh, took over the leadership of the BJP government at the Centre. As Prime Minister, Modi started rapidly implementing the resolutions of his ideological ancestors and the policies of the party, which are undoubtedly considered against the thinking of Pandit Nehru and many of his decisions. On June 10, Modi will surpass Pandit Nehru’s tenure of 4399 days as elected Prime Minister. On this occasion, read some of the decisions of Nehru, which Modi considered necessary to reverse. Whether there is talk of converting Planning Commission into NITI Aayog orThere should be an issue of rejecting the Indus Water Treaty.
Policy Commission instead of Planning Commission
Pandit Nehru had established the Planning Commission on 15 March 1950, inspired by the centralized planning system of the Soviet Union. Its objective was planning and development of the country’s resources through five-year plans. The Commission used to set detailed targets for sectors like agriculture, industry, energy, education etc.
The Commission worked from the First Five Year Plan (1951-56) to the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17). After independence, it was considered to play an important role in developing the industrial base in India with limited resources. Its contribution in building big dams, public sector undertakings, scientific institutions and infrastructure and creating the background of Green Revolution is appreciated. But the web of bureaucracy, limited participation of states and lack of flexibility in accordance with the changing market economy were its weak sides.
Policy Commission. Photo: PTI
The Jan Sangh and later the BJP repeatedly reiterated that copying foreign models is unsuitable for India’s development needs. Some of the important decisions taken by Modi in his first term included abolishing the Planning Commission. In its place, he formed NITI Aayog on 1 January 2015. The reality of the country’s ground needs and plans were included in the priorities of the Commission. The role of stakeholder states was made effective. The responsibility of financial management was handed over to the Finance Ministry. The role of NITI Aayog was limited to a think tank in relation to schemes.
Obviously this decision of Modi was opposed by Congress and Nehru supporters. It was described as the anti-Nehru gland. In reality, the reason for this decision of Modi was the thinking of the Sangh and the BJP, according to which the country could not achieve everything on the development front by following the path of Nehru, which it should have achieved by now.
Even when the ban on the Sangh was lifted, Nehru wrote that the government was not sure about its intentions. Photo: PTI
Sangh-Janasangh were always Nehru’s target
Even after the partition of the country in the name of religion, the country could not free itself from the crisis of communalism. Amidst the disaster of riots and large-scale displacement, Pandit Nehru continued to cherish the hope of establishing a secular India. For this, he placed special focus on the security of minorities. Talking about their security, he remained continuously aggressive on Hindutva forces. He was already a critic of the Sangh. After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, his attacks on the Sangh intensified. On 11 February 1948, he wrote to the Chief Minister of Punjab that the hands of these people were stained with the blood of Mahatma Gandhi. On August 1, 1949, he wrote to the Chief Ministers of all the states of the country that the ideology of the Sangh is fascist.
The country’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Photo: Getty Images
His activities should be closely monitored. Even on 20 July 1949, when the ban on the Sangh was lifted, Nehru wrote that the government was not convinced of its intentions. There will be no leniency towards violent or destructive activities. He did not even spare Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Describing it as a communal political party, he said in many of his speeches that if there is any communal organization in India, it is Jana Sangh. He was also called completely reactionary and alleged that he had the support of landlords, princely states and conservative forces.
Nehru believed that communalism of the majority community could be more dangerous than minority communalism. Explaining the need to compete with Sangh and Jana Sangh, he had said that if we do not compete with them, they will uproot India from its roots. On the other hand, Sangh-Jan Sangh kept calling the policy of special protection to minorities as appeasement and vote bank politics.
The Sangh always opposed this. It was considered a threat to the unity and integrity of the country and social harmony. Nehru died on 27 May 1964. After a gap of fifty years, on 26 May 2014, that Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister in the government with full majority of BJP, who had an association with the Sangh as a child volunteer and it became more intense and lively in his further life journey.
PM Modi.
No protection for minorities, support for all, development for all
As Prime Minister, Narendra Modi attacked Nehru’s thinking which turned into vote bank politics by appeasement in the name of protection of minorities. In his addresses, Modi always talked about 140 crore Indians instead of mentioning any class or group. Took a pledge of everyone’s support, everyone’s development, everyone’s trust. He did not give any opportunity to the citizens to complain of any kind of discrimination in the distribution of benefits of government schemes. But at the same time, while taking steps like amendment in Citizenship Act, Triple Talaq and Waqf Act, he did not even care about the opposition.
While taking such decisions, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly, Modi draws a different line by reversing the decisions of Nehru era. Nehru and the Sangh Parivar have been on opposite sides of the age-old Ram Mandir dispute. Pandit Nehru considered the disclosure of idols in the Ayodhya temple in December 1949 as wrong. Chief Minister Govind Ballabh Pant was asked to remove him. Patel and Pant did not agree to this. From the Ram Mandir movement till the completion of its construction, this role of Nehru came under the attack of Sangh Parivar and sometimes of Narendra Modi.
Pandit Nehru. Photo: Getty Images
Indus water treaty rejected
On 24 April 2025, the Modi government suspended the 1960 Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan during the Nehru government’s time. In reality, this treaty is considered to be the result of India’s extreme generosity. Despite this, Pakistan’s hostile attitude towards India continued to increase. Many governments after Pandit Nehru were upset about this but remained hesitant in taking further steps. Modi had his eye on this since his first term. On 22 April 2025, Pakistani terrorists brutally murdered 26 innocent tourists in Pahalgam.
In response to this heart-wrenching incident, the Modi government did not teach a lesson to Pakistan only through Operation Sindoor. In fact, the Indus Water Treaty was also suspended citing the fact that water and blood cannot flow together. Indus Water Treaty of 1960 has a special place in the list of liberal decisions of Pandit Nehru. This generosity proved harmful for the country. Under this treaty, it was agreed to leave three of the six largest rivers of the Indus River system exclusively downstream to Pakistan. In the treaty, there is a provision to give 80.52 percent of the water of the Indus system to Pakistan for an indefinite period. Due to this, the interests of Jammu and Kashmir and to a large extent Punjab were ignored. It is considered to be the most generous water agreement in modern world history. Despite all the international pressure, the Modi government is not ready to reinstate the treaty.
Nationalism of the Sangh: Communalism of the majority in the eyes of Nehru
Pandit Nehru saw the nationalism of Sangh Parivar from the perspective of Hindu communalism. Nehru believed that communalism of the majority community could be more dangerous than minority communalism. He had said that the biggest threat to India is not communism, but Hindu right-wing communalism. It was also said that the communalism of minorities is recognized, but the communalism of the majority community is often confused with nationalism.
As Prime Minister, Narendra Modi did not waste any opportunity to attack this thinking of Nehru. Modi not only participated in the special program organized on 7 November 2025 in Delhi to mark the completion of 150 years of the composition of the national anthem Vande Mataram, but also reminded how under the pressure of communal forces, the Nehru Committee gave consent to the singing of only the first two stanzas of this song. The Modi government left no stone unturned in publicizing the weakness of the Nehru era through the mandatory singing of the full song and related events across the country.
In his articles and speeches on the completion of 75 years of reconstruction of Somnath temple, Modi did not fail to mention Sardar Patel’s contribution and Nehru’s opposition to this noble cause. Nehru had opposed the presence of the then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad in the consecration program of Somnath Temple on 11 May 1951. Nehru’s argument was that the participation of the President of secular India in any religious program would give a wrong message. Rajendra Prasad still did not agree. Angered Nehru had banned the government coverage of his program. Everything had changed in the span of 75 years. Prime Minister Modi participated in the Somnath Amrit Mahotsav with full enthusiasm on 11 May 2026. Performed the puja as per the rituals. In reality, Modi repeatedly tries to convey the message that India has recovered from the Nehru era thinking and has moved far ahead.
Also read: A new record will be made on June 10. From Nehru-Indira-Manmohan to Modi, who ran the country for how many days?
