Thread by @itihasika

(1/16) Glorified by some & vilified by some. #Nehru's legacy is complex. Read on for a data centric report card. Sorry no spicy stories Edwina/Padmaja Naidu. We're professional not personal. If bhakts & kambhakts fight over #Nehru in ur whatsapp groups share this thread with them

(2/16) We evaluate the KPIs of 16.7 years of strictly PM years with report card in last tweet. We assume that a person that spent 10 years in jail & was a relentless freedom fighter won't have bad intent. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions–read on

(3/16) Nehru was undemocratically imposed by Gandhian veto but was PM from 1947 to 1966. He inherited an India ravaged by colonial excesses. Fair comparison would be how he fared in the economic/HDI/security vs other equivalent countries with similar numbers & colonial baggage

(4/16) Let's clarify 3 definitions first to avoid confusion. 1) GDP growth=Total GDP growth of a country 2) GDP share of world=what % of the world's GDP belongs to the country c) GDP per capita=How much money does an individual have on average. Related but different indicators

(5/16) Pictures below from source ourworldindata.org with multiple sources says it all. So does the famous Angus Madison study. India's numbers abysmal in Nehru years even when compared to countries like Philippines, Malaysia & Burma

(6/16) Look at India's foreign reserves & imports vs exports. Both hug the X axis through Nehru's time period. Abject failure of trade & manufacturing. The socialist 5 years plans & grand openings of PSU were not helping. His PSUs were ultimately loss making & toxic for taxpayers

(7/16) Nehru once told Raja Rao: "Enough of Rama, Krishna. 3,000 year of deities got us slavery, poverty" Look at the 2000 year economic history. It's clear that India's share of world GDP was highest when we were worshipping "Rama-Krishna". Nehru got it wrong

(8/16) The graph shows that through the literacy rate went from approx 10% to 20% it was way behind even equally poor country like China. A basic check for other south Asian countries will also show how they surged while India lagged. But he set up IITs & AIIMS right? Read on

9/16) Nehru did not create IITs. Dr BC Roy, CM of West Bengal, set up first IIT in Cal in 1950. Soviet Union set up IIT Powai; US set up IIT Kanpur; Germans set up IIT Madras. And he did not start "scientific temper" either. Look @ picture below – all started before him.

(10/16) No he did not start AIIMS either. It was completely the brainchild & hard work of Rajkumari Amrit Kaur the first health minister. PM just happened to be Nehru. Amrit Kaur was not even his choice for cabinet ministry. She was a Congress Critic.

(11/16) But Nehru revolutionized agriculture isn’t it? Sadly no. Green revolution was started by Shastri after deviating from Nehruvian policy and white revolution even later in 70s. Nehru had little or nothing to do with Indian food self-sufficiency

(12/16) Foreign policy complete disaster– Lost 1/3rd India to Pakistan between 1937 to 1947, lost 2/3rd Kashmir by going to UN, lost Aksai Chin, lost China war, lost Gwadar, lost Balochistan, imposed Article 370, rejected permanent UN seat & Muslim personal law board

(13/16) Soft Power – Unspeakable mess – Tried to stop Somnath, tried to sell snake charmer image, thought of himself as "carryover saheb", mocked low GDP growth as "Hindu" rate of growth, created conflict via linguistic division of states

(14/16) Perhaps the only shining light in the long list of blunders is his genuine empowerment of democracy. In 1947 barely 16% could vote so he could have easily attempted to become dictator. But he was a Fabian idealist & in 1951-52 brought in Universal Adult Franchise

(15/16) Nehru is not just a man but a "spirit" – the "spirit" that symbolizes a colonial continuity. Whether India survives or not in its current cultural form depends on whether Nehru spirit is implanted in next gen mind. Which makes it critical to spread this tweet.

(16/16) In summary the score is D-. However Nehru was shaped by his circumstances and personality type. In a democracy the PM is merely a manifestation of the people's collective consciousness. Nehru was democratically elected 3 times. Hence ultimately it's the people's fault