Nepal could have been part of the Indian republic had Nehru not rejected King Tribhuvan’s offer, says Pranab Mukherjee in his memoir

Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru declined Nepal’s King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah’s offer that the Himalayan nation be made a province of India, writes late President Pranab Mukherjee in his autobiography, ‘The Presidential Years’.

In chapter 11 of his memoir, he expresses his views on former prime ministers and presidents of India. “Every PM has his or her own style of functioning. Lal Bahadur Shastri took positions that were very different from that of Nehru. There can be divergent perceptions among PMs, even if they happen to come from the same party, on issues such as foreign policy, security and internal administration”, he writes.
 
On the issue of Nepal acceding to India, Mukherjee writes, “After the Rana rule was replaced by the monarchy in Nepal, he wished for democracy to take root. Interestingly, Nepal’s king, Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, had suggested to Nehru that Nepal be made a province of India. But Nehru rejected the offer on the grounds that Nepal was an independent nation and must remain so,” he says observing that Nehru dealt with Nepal very diplomatically.

He then adds that if Indira Gandhi were in his place, she would have seized the opportunity the way she did with Sikkim. “Had Indira Gandhi been in Nehru’s place, she would have perhaps seized upon the opportunity, like she did with Sikkim,” Mukherjee added.
 
Nehru has been blamed for his flawed foreign policy which experts believe was based on emotion rather than pragmaticism. While Nehru mishandled Jammu & Kashmir by taking it to the UN, his indecisiveness over Tibet led to China invading it. Nehru was in awe of China as he envisaged the ‘Panchsheel’ and gave the call ‘Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai’, none of which made any impact on the Chinese, who within a few years attacked India and completed the forceful takeover of Tibet.

Nepal which is today in the throes of China, is struggling to stand due to the influence of Chinese Communist Party in its internal affairs. Foreign Policy experts believe that had Nepal been a part of the Indian republic, it would have served a bulwark against Chinese expansionism.