The first confrontation between the President and the Prime Minister took place in 1950 when Dr. Rajendra Prasad ignored Pandit Nehru’s advice to forbid participation in its program after the reconstruction of the Somnath temple.
There were disagreements on many issues between Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Jawaharlal Nehru.
They were united in the freedom struggle but their differences were on the surface in the leadership of independent India. as the country’s first president Dr. Rajendra Prasad both his terms and the prime minister Pandit jawaharlal nehru They are remembered for differences and cold relations on many questions. Pandit Nehru’s first choice for the first term of the President was CR Rajagopalachari. In the second term, he wanted to give this responsibility to the then Vice President S. Radhakrishnan. But both times the tide tilted in favor of Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s stature was very high due to his unique talent and undeniable image as the President of the Constituent Assembly along with the leading role in the freedom struggle. Pandit Nehru himself also respected him a lot personally, but due to difference in working style and ideology, everything could not remain very smooth and normal between the first President and the first Prime Minister.
Questions related to the rights of the President
A few days after being elected the President, Dr. Prasad raised three questions of constitutional importance in connection with the rights of the President. According to him, the President is capable of stopping the approval of any bill at his discretion. He is authorized to dismiss any minister or cabinet and hold general elections and as the Supreme Commander of the Army can directly convey messages or receive information to the Chiefs of Army Staff on matters relating to defence. Pandit Nehru sought the opinion of Attorney General MC Setalvad on these questions.
Setalvad replied that the President cannot withhold approval of a bill, but as the constitutional head, he can express his influence through other means. Can’t dismiss any minister directly but can order to hold elections by dismissing the cabinet.
There is no written provision in the law to hold elections at the discretion of the President, but if the President firmly feels that the Lok Sabha does not reflect the political balance of the country, then he can use it as a reserved right. As the Supreme Commander, he can get information not directly from the army chiefs but through the Defense Minister.
Controversy over Somnath temple program
The first confrontation between the President and the Prime Minister took place in 1950 when Dr. Rajendra Prasad ignored Pandit Nehru’s advice to forbid participation in its program after the reconstruction of the Somnath temple. Pandit Nehru considered the presence of the constitutional head of a secular republic inappropriate in this program considering it related to religious revival. Describing the Somnath temple as a symbol of resistance to a foreign invader, Prasad said that I believe in my religion and I cannot separate myself from it. Angry Nehru stopped the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from releasing the official release of the President’s speech in this program.
Differences on Hindu Code Bill as well
The second major difference was regarding the approval of the President on the Hindu Code Bill. In view of the widespread opposition to the bill, the President suggested that public opinion should be taken on it first. He said that he has discussed the bill in detail with more than half of the MPs and they have supported his opinion. Dr. Ambedkar, who drafted this bill, termed the President as ‘reactionary’. Pandit Nehru also had the same thinking. But Dr. Prasad remained firm. Dr. Prasad gave his assent to the bill after the massive public support Congress got in the general elections.
There was objection to the President’s participation in Patel’s funeral.
Pandit Nehru also objected to Dr. Prasad going to Bombay for Sardar Patel’s funeral as President. The President’s 1952 visit to Banaras also became the cause of a big controversy. In this journey, he had washed the feet of some learned Pandits of Kashi as a symbol of respect. In response to Nehru’s open displeasure, Rajendra Prasad had said that even a person occupying the highest position in the country would be considered lesser in front of a scholar.
Why was Nehru against for a second term?
Famous journalist Durgadas has given a detailed description of distance between Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Pandit Nehru in his well-known book “India from Curzon to Nehru and After”. According to him, to stop Prasad’s second term, Panditji had expressed the view in a meeting with the Chief Ministers of four states of South India that since the Prime Minister is from the North, he would like the President to be from the South. But these chief ministers showed no interest in selection on the basis of regionalism and favored the re-election of Rajendra Prasad.
Why didn’t Pandit Nehru want him on this post? Durgadas tried to get the answer from Pandit Nehru’s trusted then Home Minister Govind Ballabh Pant. Pant had told him that some courtiers were trying to poison Nehru’s mind that with the help of the Sangh-Jan Sangh, Rajendra Prasad could topple the throne. According to Pant, Pandit ji considered the posts of President and Vice President suitable for such special personalities, who were not colored by politics.
Nehru did not see secular image in Prasad
Durgadas has written that in the eyes of Pandit Nehru, President Rajendra Prasad did not represent the secular image of modern India, so he used to hang proposals for his foreign visits. In the first term, the only foreign visit of the President was to the Hindu nation of Nepal. In 1958, Nehru reluctantly agreed to the President’s visits to Japan and later to some countries in South East Asia. His visits to Japan, Vietnam and Sri Lanka were very successful. After the visits of US President Eisenhower in 1959 and Queen Elizabeth in 1961, the President’s reply invitations remained buried in the files.
According to Durgadas, Prasad had told him that Nehru did not discuss foreign matters with him and discouraged him from discussing serious matters in his meetings with foreign guests. Durgadas has written referring to the letters and notes written by Rajendra Prasad to Pandit Nehru from time to time on many questions including political, economic and social topics that he often showed them to him. Durgadas had urged Rajendra Prasad to discuss these topics during his meetings with Pandit Nehru.
According to Das, he considered it futile, because ultimately there was a possibility of ending the discussion between the two on disagreements and provocative debates. Durgadas had an assessment about Rajendra Prasad that he could not express himself freely in the presence of Pandit Nehru, so he avoided dialogue with him. On the issue of increasing corruption in the country, Rajendra Prasad had written a comment to the Prime Minister in a very strong language that this would prove to be a nail in the coffin of the Congress. He suggested the system of Ombudsman under the President or any independent unit.
Pandit Nehru did not give a written answer to this, but during the meeting with the President, he called it an unfriendly suggestion. Prasad was greatly pained by the misinterpretation of his intention. There was also a complaint of the President about appointments to governors, ambassadors and other constitutional posts being first through the press and then the official information reaching himself. After this complaint, the cabinet decided that before such appointments the files should be sent to the President first.
Defense Minister VK Krishna Menon had to apologize after Prasad’s displeasure over being kept in the dark about the resignation of Army Chief General Thimayya despite being the Supreme Commander. Later, while expressing his displeasure in front of Pandit Nehru, he had said that you are setting wrong traditions. Such a President who is not favorable to you can create big problems for you. In his address at a law institute in the last phase of his tenure, he had suggested legal experts to study the rights of the President under the constitution.
He disagreed with the President of India being considered equal to the British Queen and felt the need to establish proper traditions in this regard. After this address, Pandit Nehru told Rajendra Prasad in his meeting that KM Munshi had misled you and your comments were not going to promote national interests.
Rajendra Prasad had denied the role of Munshi behind this and said that in his opinion study on this subject is necessary as the country is a new republic and for this there can be no other place more suitable than law institute. The official release of this speech of the President was not issued. The President disagreed with the government on many questions, including Centre-State relations and the government’s policy towards China.
The funeral site was discovered in Delhi
According to Durgadas, ten months before the end of his tenure, Rajendra Prasad became seriously ill. Seeing his very delicate condition, the search for the place of last rites started. Being a very sensitive subject, it was necessary to keep it confidential. Delhi Commissioner Bhagwan Sahay ICS was in the car with Home Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The responsibility of driving was on Deputy Commissioner Sushital Banerjee. This team selected a site far away from Rajghat. Fortunately, Rajendra Prasad recovered. Durgadas has written that later in 1966 Lal Bahadur Shastri was cremated at this place, which is now known as Vijay Ghat.
Nehru did not attend the funeral
On May 13, 1962, the term of President of Rajendra Prasad was completed. He had a little life left, which was spent very simply in the cottage of Sadaqat Ashram in Patna. He died on 28 February 1963 in Patna. On that day a program of Pandit Nehru to collect money for the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund was predetermined in Rajasthan. For this reason, he expressed his inability to attend the funeral of the former President in Patna to President Radhakrishnan.
Durgadas writes in his book that Nehru told Radhakrishnan that it was not necessary for him to go there. Expressing disagreement, Radhakrishnan said that no it is necessary for me to go there. The respect that the former President deserves must be given to him. The President also suggested the Prime Minister to cancel his visit to Rajasthan and go to Patna. Both rejected each other’s suggestions. That day Pandit Nehru went to Rajasthan and Radhakrishnan to Patna.
Source: www.tv9hindi.com”