CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 62: WORLD’S PUZZLED GAZE

Global Capitals – November 1948

When news of the Bharatiya Jana Dal’s public launch reached government offices around the world, it created quite a stir. The fact that Indira Gandhi had joined this new opposition party made headlines everywhere.

It looked like Prime Minister Arjun Mehra was keeping his promise to bring democracy to India to most people. But a lot of world leaders were confused by the whole thing.

There was a lot of coverage in the international press, but their interpretations were very different.

The London Times said it was "a bold step toward genuine parliamentary democracy in the subcontinent," and Le Monde called it "a curious arrangement that bears watching."

The New York Times said that "the nature of this opposition remains unclear, raising questions about the true direction of Indian politics." American newspapers were more careful.

The British government was cautiously hopeful in London.

Sir Alexander Cadogan sent reports back to his bosses, and soon an internal memo was going around 10 Downing Street. The memo said, "His Majesty’s Government sees the creation of a strong opposition party in India as a good thing."

"This shows that Prime Minister Mehra is serious about making a real democracy." It also gives us another reason to back India’s bid for a permanent seat on the Security Council.

The memo went on to give a more in-depth analysis. "The presence of well-known Hindu nationalist leaders next to Miss Gandhi suggests a larger coalition than was first thought.

This may make it harder for us to understand Indian politics, but it also shows that democratic institutions are growing in ways that go beyond simple ideological differences.

But British officials weren’t so sure behind closed doors.

"An opposition made up of Hindu nationalists and Indira Gandhi?" Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin said to his aide one afternoon. "A rather strange turn of event, isn’t it?". He stopped and frowned.

Ever since Mehra had came into the picture, it’s as if he had flipped the entire political scenario of the India they had left behind. They really didn’t understand why Indira made such a choice. It seemed so different from everything her father Nehru had stood for.

Across the ocean in Washington D.C., American officials had similar reactions. Ambassador Warren Austin sent cables back home describing the BJD’s formation as proof that India was committed to democracy.

"Prime Minister Mehra is moving quickly, it seems," Austin reported. "The emergence of an opposition party, even one with conservative-nationalist views, shows that there’s real political diversity in India."

Austin’s reports were supplemented by intelligence gathered from handful of American businesses operating in India.

President Truman’s administration was eager to see India become a stable democracy that could help contain communism in Asia. This new development gave them the political cover they needed to continue their engagement and aid programs with India.

During a National Security Council meeting, Truman himself expressed cautious optimism: "If Mehra can build a functioning democracy in India, it changes the entire balance of power in Asia. We need to support this, even if it doesn’t align with what we wanted. Maybe in future, we can deal with it, but not now."

Marshall leaned back in his chair, thinking. "Still, It’s a strange kind of democracy he’s building over there. We need to watch this more closely. We don’t have strong intelligence assets in India right now.

Contact our agents who went to India as engineers. They should focus on understanding the real relationship between the ruling Congress and this new opposition. Also, ask Director Hillenkoetter to send more agents to the Indian subcontinent."

The CIA’s initial assessments were wary but curious. Director Roscoe Hillenkoetter personally briefed Marshall on the situation.

"Sir, our gathered information suggests this isn’t a fake opposition. There appear to be genuine policy differences between the BJD and Congress, particularly on economic matters and the pace of social reforms.

However, both parties seem to share similar views on national security and foreign policy, which is... unusual for a democracy."

The mystery of Indira’s strategic move added a layer of confusion that baffled American analysts who were used to more straightforward political situations.

Other European powers watched with varying degrees of interest and concern. The Netherlands, dealing with their own colonial challenges in Indonesia, saw India’s political developments as potentially relevant to their own situation.

Italian officials, rebuilding their own democracy after fascism, were curious about how democratic institutions could be established in post-colonial contexts.

However, the most significant and worrying reaction came from Moscow. While the Soviets had noted the BJD’s emergence with less public attention, their intelligence agencies were consumed by a different, far more pressing concern about India’s internal politics.

In the Kremlin, Foreign Minister Molotov presented a series of urgent intelligence reports to Stalin.

"Comrade General Secretary," Molotov said, his voice tense, "our main concern about India isn’t this new ’opposition’ party, which seems to be just a distraction for Western powers. Our concern is the Communist Party of India."

Stalin’s usually sleepy eyes suddenly became sharp and alert. "The CPI. What about them? Have they finally raised their voice against Mehra’s methods?"

Molotov’s expression was grim. "Comrade General Secretary, we haven’t received reliable communications from the main CPI leadership for several weeks now. Our local networks report confusion and disorganization.

Their offices have, for all practical purposes, stopped functioning. Their most vocal leaders have simply... disappeared. It’s as if they vanished overnight."

The Soviet intelligence apparatus had been trying to maintain contact with communist cells throughout India, but their efforts had been systematically frustrated.

Radio communications had been intercepted, courier networks had been compromised, and trusted agents had gone silent. The pattern was too consistent to be coincidental.

The implications were heavy and frightening. This wasn’t just a political setback; this was systematic destruction. Molotov pulled out a map of India, pointing to regions where CPI influence had once been strong.

"The purges Mehra carried out earlier, supposedly to suppress ’disruptive elements’ during the war, appear to have been far more thorough than we initially thought."

Stalin’s pipe had gone out, but he made no move to relight it. "So, Mehra delivers his ’democracy’ to the West, complete with a tame opposition to entertain them, while simultaneously destroying any genuine, ideological opposition to his rule.

He uses their own rules, their own language, to justify crushing dissent that threatens his absolute control."

"Exactly, Comrade General Secretary," Molotov confirmed. "His internal intelligence service, the IB, is operating with frightening decisiveness."

Stalin’s gaze hardened as he studied the map, then considered the implications for Soviet foreign policy. Though CPI has no official links to USSR whatsoever, they still provided a means to influence Indian political landscape. And now, it’s gone.

"I don’t think Mehra has deliberately targeted them. If I’m not wrong, then they are just one among many others who might have been silently purged."

"What does this mean for our long-term strategy, Comrade General Secretary?" Molotov asked carefully.

Stalin’s eyes held a dangerous glint. "Nothing. We have no connection to this situation. Just focus on our partnerships. The rest, comes afterwards."

The Soviet leadership began to realize that they were dealing with a new kind of challenge.

Unlike the straightforward capitalist democracies of the West or the obvious authoritarian regimes they were familiar with, Mehra’s India represented something more complex and potentially more dangerous: a system that could adapt to international expectations while maintaining iron control internally.

Around the world, different governments continued to observe this situation, with each one drawing different conclusions.

And at the center of it all, hidden by everyone, Arjun Mehra continued to pull the strings from the shadows.