In a scathing attack against Congress and Rahul Gandhi, PM Modi on Tuesday (February 4) tore into former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and recommended the opposition MPs read JFK’s Forgotten Crises, a book by US foreign policy expert Bruce Reidel, which explores political and diplomatic challenges during John F. Kennedy’s presidency.
#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi says, "While discussing the President's Address, foreign policy was also discussed here. A few people think that they don’t appear mature if they don’t speak on foreign policy. They think that they should definitely speak on foreign policy, even if it… pic.twitter.com/LDXPl0c3q4
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2025
The suggestion came as Mr Modi took a swipe at critics of his government’s handling of the India-China border dispute, specifically in context with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Monday and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav’s comments earlier that day.
Modi pointed to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, stating that the book reveals “the games” Nehru played with the country’s security and what foreign policy meant for the Congress stalwart.
“For those truly interested in foreign policy, I suggest reading JFK’s Forgotten Crises,” he said. “The book, written by a foreign policy scholar, mentions India’s first Prime Minister, who also held the Foreign Affairs portfolio. It includes his conversation with JFK during a crisis, detailing the actions taken in the name of foreign policy.”
Insights from JFK’s Forgotten Crises about India’s foreign policy handled by then PM Nehru
Nevertheless, as PM Modi drew attention to JFK’s ‘Forgotten Crises” book, it is worth noting what the book mentions about Kennedy’s wife’s visit to India and the handling of foreign relations by the then PM, Nehru, who also held the foreign portfolio.
In a conversation with John Kenneth Galbraith, the then US ambassador to India, US President John F Kennedy reportedly told him that Nehru was more interested in conversation with his wife, Jackie, than him.
The book also mentions that when the US embassy had rented a villa for Mrs Kennedy, Nehru insisted that she stay in a guest suite at the Prime Minister’s residence, the same suite that was used by Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of the last viceroy Lord Mountbatten, who had presided over the partition.
Furthermore, an account referenced in the book asserts Nehru was more interested in Pat Kennedy, an attractive 27-year-old sister of JFK than in either Jack or Bobby.
The remarks followed Mr Gandhi’s claim in the House that India had lost over 4,000 sq km of territory to China. He alleged that the Prime Minister denied this, but the Army’s statements contradicted him. His comments triggered protests from the ruling party and were met with strong criticism from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who debunked the baseless claims attributed to the Army Chief by the Gandhi scion.
