Ah, Wilderness

Prime Minister Nehru has lost his grip on the Indian Congress Party, the power, now crumbling, that led the fight for Indian independence. With common enemy and common purpose gone, the party has turned flabby and corrupt. Its new strong man is Purushottamdas Tandon, a bearded lawyer who looks like a Hindu holy man and acts like a Tammany boss. A right-winger, he controls the party machine and the political bosses whom Nehru has nei, ther time nor inclination to pay much attention to. Last month a group of Nehru's left-wing followers seceded from the Congress Party, formed a new party of their own. At that, Nehru vowed he would crack down on Tandon, resume his old leadership of the Congress Party.

Nehru got his chance at Bangalore where 350 members of the All India Congress Committee met to make plans for India's forthcoming general elections (probably at the end of 1951). With evangelical fervor, Nehru campaigned for Congress Party reforms, told members that it would be better for them to lose the elections than lose their souls. Before a nineteen-member working committee, Nehru demanded reorganization of the Congress Party's election board (which nominates candidates) so as to give his own followers a chance against Tandon's party machine. He also asked that charges of corruption be investigated.

For three days, Nehru fought doughtily for his proposal. But when Tandon threatened to resign and challenged Nehru to run the Congress Party alone, Nehru saw his position as Prime Minister endangered, beat a hasty retreat.

Nehru tried to dress up his surrender to Tandon as a gesture for "unity," but his followers were not fooled. Last week two of his cabinet ministers, Rafi Ahmad Kidwai (Communications) and A jit Prasad Jain (Rehabilitation) resigned from the Congress Party, but stayed on in the cabinet at Nehru's plea. (Their remaining in office, jeered Tandon, created an "impossible situation.") Other dissidents are sure to follow them. Said a veteran Congressman: "Nehru has no guts. He dislikes all that Tandon stands for, but he will campaign to get Tandon's nominees elected to Parliament to insure his Prime Ministership. Nehru has driven his followers into the wilderness."

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