Chapter 31 - The 59th Indian National Congress
"So long as there is a third party, i.e. the British, these dissensions will not end. These will go on growing. They will disappear only when an iron dictator rules over India for 20 years. For a few years at least, after the end of British rule in India, there must be a dictatorship... No other constitution can flourish in this country and it is so to India's good that she shall be ruled by a dictator, to begin with."
- Subhas Chandra Bose
September 16, 1940.
The Independence of India immediately sent shockwaves across the globe. As though a catalyst of fate, it triggered several decisive events on the world stage:
In the west, British propaganda, aided by the traitor T.V. Soong, has caused US public opinion to shift firmly against China. For allying with Nazi Germany and attacking the British Empire -- the "Bulwark of Freedom" in Europe -- the United States officially censures China by declaring a trade embargo against the fledgling Asian Republic. Oil imports from the Americas were cut. Without imports, the petroleum situation in China quickly plummets into the red.
Reporting on this, ROC Quartermaster General Chen Jitang sent the following memo to Chiang:
"In an age when the British and Soviets are increasingly motorizing their forces, we now stand in danger of being forced to
de-motorized our meager modern formations due to a lack of fuel. If China does not find new sources of oil, our army, air, and naval forces will inevitably become paralyzed by 1942..."
In response, ROC Vice President Li Zongren and Minister of Economy Wen Wenghao issues a directive that China's attempts to product domestic oil -- the 'Daqing Oil Battle' -- must be raised to the highest priority. Last year, the Chinese geological surveys (launched in 1935, see Chapter 9) has discovered a large oil field in Nenjiang Province (Manchuria), between the Songhua and Nen Rivers. The founder of Chinese geology, Li Siguang (an ethnic Mongol), estimated that the Daqing Oil Field contained an estimated 16 billion barrels of oil.
The trouble was extracting it, as China has no experience with oil drilling whatsoever.
(
The 'Daqing Oil Battle' , waged in desolate lands in an extreme climate, is another renowned chapter of China's drive to self-improvement through bitter hardship.)
In the East, Japanese society was shaken to its foundations as officers of the Imperial Navy assassinated Prime Minister Kijūrō Shidehara as well as his foreign minister, Shigemitsu Mamoru. The coup consisted mostly of young officers from the Kōdōha (Imperial Way faction). They accused Shidehara and Mamoru of being cowards and traitors, who refused to take any aggressive actions beneficial to the Japanese Empire even as European spheres of influence in Asia crumble under the Chinese offensive, therefore squandering Japan's greatest opportunity to expand the glory of their divine Emperor.
A counter-coup by Imperial Japanese Naval High Command immediately put down the unrest, and most of the junior officers were court martialled and shot. However, the damage has already been done. The social-conservative government that Shidehara carefully built up after the Second Sino-Japanese War (1935) was destroyed virtually overnight. Meanwhile, the new Prime Minister of Japanese -- Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai -- would reverse many of Shidehara's policies in the coming days, beginning with the renunciation of the Second London Naval Treaty signed in March 1936. Many observers believe that it was the Japanese admirals who encouraged the coup to happen in the first place, then pretended to 'restore order' to reap all the benefits.
Over the past five years, the Japanese have rebuilt their shattered army, now fully controlled under naval leadership as the Imperial Japanese Army ceased to exist as a political entity after their virtual annihilation during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Japan had rebounded to its militaristic nature, and nobody knew where it was headed next.
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In Delhi, delegates of the Indian National Congress gathered for their 59th assembly -- which also marked first INC congress of Free India.
(
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi attending the Indian National Congress. A disgruntled Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel -- who never got along with Bose -- could be seen to the right.)
Abul Kalam Azad, senior Muslim leader of the INC who was elected to Congress President in March, 1940 to counter Jinnah's call for a Two-State Solution, voluntarily stepped down. Replacing him was Subhas Chandra Bose, the liberator of India who returned to his position as president with almost unanimous approval.
In an fiery opening speech, Bose addressed the delegates to uphold and continue the movement that he had began:
"Yes, India has been freed from the tyranny of British Imperialism, but we must remember that this is not the end of our journey, only the beginning!
"In the last two hundred years, the British have reduced our sacred land from the most wealthy and productive in the world, to its poorest. Two centuries of plunder and mismanagement have filled the India of today with problems both social and economic. Our traditional values lay smashed by white prejudice. Our world-famous textiles lay dismantled beneath the boot of British brutality. Our once efficient agriculure sways on the precarious edge of famine due to English cruelty. Our traders which once covered the Indian Ocean lay bankrupted by European greed. Our communal trust -- after centuries of neighborly coexistence between Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis -- lay shattered by Anglo provocation and disinformation."
"But blaming the past gets us nowhere. We must work now to secure India's future with out own hands, and there is no doubt that we have a long and arduous road ahead of us, my brothers! The revolution is yet unfinished. We cannot be merely satisfied by a free and independent India. No, we must rebuild India from the ashes, to become the proud and strong civilization we were before! And this time, we shall ensure that no white usurper shall
ever take it from us again!"
His speech was soon met by a standing ovation and echoing cries of "
Jal Hind!" (Hail India!).
Bose did not waste his moment of greatest popularity. Taking advantage of the nationalistic fervor, he proceeded to denounce the top disciples of Gandhi's nonviolent resistance movement -- particularly Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel -- as "patriotic, well-intentioned, but misguided and unrealistic." He went on to completely dissemble the ideology of
Satyagraha (nonviolent civil resistance), declaring it to be a "praiseworthy and virtuous fantasy unrealistic in the face of
realpolitik."
"We must be strong not only in our minds and spirit," Bose declared in reference to Gandhi's teachings, "but also in deeds and action! We must show them that we will not be beaten! We will not be oppressed! We shall never tolerate imperialism again! And those who attempt it will be met by our steel, our lives, and our very blood!"
"Remember, now and forever, that
Our freedom was not given! It was taken!*"
(Bose's famous quote in past tense)
('Netaji' is a custom minister personality. DH did a poor job on Indian leaders' political leanings, and I didn't feel like putting in the effort to fix it all.)
In the ensuing congressional debates, Bose carefully navigated his way through the complex political landscape and negotiated with the various groups to build his cabinet -- the first Indian ruling government for more than a century. The Indian National Congress has always been federalist (pro-provincial autonomy), republican, and socialist. However Bose's vision for India was further left and centrist (centralized power) than the INC mainstream. He could not rely solely on the support of his small political (sub)party, the All India Forward Bloc. Therefore, to successfully concentrate power around himself and carry out his plans for the future of India, he must build an effective government in which every social group could see themselves represented, a strong government that must focus itself on eliminating divisions and promoting unity:
- Foreign Minister - Sarat Chandra Bose : Sarat was Subhas Chandra Bose's elder brother. A prominent member of the Indian Independence movement, Sarat has alway lent unwavering political support for Bose from within the INC, and dedicated much of his political life to maintaining unity between the Hindu and Muslim majority factions. As the leader of the Forward Bloc in his younger brother's absence, Subhas could absolutely trust Sarat to uphold his intentions in navigating the complex international landscape in this era.
- Minister of Economics (Armaments) - Lal Bahadur Shastri : Although a loyal follower of Gandhi and key ally of Nehru, Shastri is a firm believer in revitalizing the economy via grassroots movements, and is keenly in touch with the needs of farmers and ranchers. His speech 'Jai Jawan Jai Kishan' (Hail the Farmer, Hail the Soldier) before the congress also left Bose sorely impressed and was quickly adopted into a national slogan.
- Minister of Law (Security) - Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar : Ambedkar is a Hindu social reformer (who later converted to Buddhism). Despite being one of the first trained economists of the Indian Independence movement, he spent most of his time on legal and social reform. He is best known for his campaigns against social discrimination towards the Dalit (untouchable) castes.
- Head of Intelligence - Rafi Ahmed Kidwai : An "Islamic Socialist" and Chief Whip of the Swaraj Party (founded in 1923 over distrust of Gandhi's political judgment). Kidwai has a history of working to maintain unity within the party and making sure everyone follows the established political lines. Respected and promoted to become Minister of Communications, Kidwai is the perfect choice to ensure that the right political message is distributed to the people.
- Minister of Defense (Chief of Staff) - Sardar Baldev Singh : The most prominent Sikh leader of the Indian Independence movement. As the Sikhs overwhelmingly dominate the British-Indian Army that Bose was now converting into the Indian National Army, it did not surprise anyone that Baldev would be chosen to lead them in national defense.
- Shah Nawaz Khan, whom Bose had recruited to lead the Indian National Army during the liberation campaign, will continue on as the Chief of the Army.
Although Gandhi would remain as the spiritual father of the nation and recognized has its official head of state, Bose stripped most of the Gandhi-Nehru clique followers of their political influence. This would ensure that they would never again oppose him for political leadership over the future of India. It left only one potential obstacle remaining, only one body who still had the power and influence to challenge Bose's rising authority:
"With the independence of India, this body has proudly accomplished all of its objectives. It is now time to reorganize the political future of India, as we focus not on liberation, but reform, industrialization, and education. Thus, as is the expressed desire by our father, Mahatama Gandhi...
"I hereby dissolve the Indian National Congress!"
Now, Subhas Chandra Bose was truly the 'Netaji'
(respected leader) of India.
And to make sure that order will be enforced during this turbulent time in Indian history, the Indian National Army is rapidly expanded by enlarging each of its four brigades into full divisions.
(Custom event: 1st phase of INA expansion)
1. The opening quote was given by Bose during an interview with the Singaporean Daily in 1944 (our timeline). I've seen arguments from Bose's supporters that his admiration of fascism mellowed out after visiting Europe during WW2, especially with Hitler and Mussolini's racist policies which ran contrary to Bose's belief in socialist equality. But clearly: not enough.
2. In our timeline, Daqing Oil Field was discovered by Li Siguang in 1959, and began production in 1960. With early chinese unification and German technical support, this could have managed much earlier.
3. Shastri's '
Jai Jawan Jai Kishan' slogan came about in our timeline during the 1965 India-Pakistani War, during his term as the 2nd Prime Minister of India. Since India is enrolling in a major war far earlier, I figure his idea would come sooner.
4. Ambedkar was India's 1st Minister of Law in our historical timeline; Kidwai was India's 1st Minister of Communications; and Baldev was our India's 1st Minister of Defense. One could say Nehru did a fairly good job giving representation to the minorities; too bad he never earned the trust of the AIML.
5. Gandhi did indeed wish to dissolve the INC after Independence. However, by that time the INC had gained invincible political status in the eyes of Indians, and thus his followers choose to keep it to dominate the politics of India rather than disband. It's yet another example that Gandhi was... a little too idealistic for politics. I love the man for his unwavering ethics, but he lacks a certain 'practical ruthlessness' that's required for effective leadership.