In 1947 India got it's independence, but in the process lost it's two limbs. There is a view that it was Nehru's ambition to become Prime Minister ahead of Jinnah which caused the nation to be partitioned. It triggered a mass migration, probably the largest in history, and caused the loss of thousands of lives.
Post partition Nehru and the Congress went about building democratic institutions that went to on to guide a nascent nation. To a large extent these institutions stood the test of time in a large, complex and diverse India.
But after Nehru's death, an young and insecure Indira went about systematically destroying the very edifices that her father and his colleagues had so painstakingly built. She broke the Congress and surrounded herself with sycophants who did not have any grass root base. They owed their position to Indira.
She twisted and mauled the constitution to impair the federal structure of the country and institutionalized corruption. Her policies finally boomeranged on her and became the cause of her death. Her son and the Congress did not learn their lessons. And today under the harsh glare of the 24x7 media, the Congress is coming off at the seams and the institutions have lost their credibility.
It will be a long and arduous road ahead to rebuilt the nation's faith in these institutions. But a tall and honest leader who has to lead the nation up this thorny path is nowhere to be seen.
