Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru: Second Series: Volume 31

The present volume covers the period from 18 November 1955 to 31 January 1956. The most important event during this period is the visit of the Soviet leaders to India….. the first visit of the Soviet leaders…. to a non-socialist developing country… Of particular interest is the Prime Minister’s anxiety to make the Soviet leadership understand his Government’s problems with the Communist Party of India. The reaction of the Soviet leadership is tactful but non-committal…… At home the report of the States Reorganization Commission has begun to create problems… It is interesting to note that for Nehru himself, the individual linguistic state is a low priority…. The preparation of the Second Five Year Plan… gives Nehru an opportunity to analyse…. the problems of short-term and long-term planning… the priority of primary education in national planning…. the relationship between heavy industries and small-scale industries… divergent views about the Ambar Charkha. Another important aspect of domestic politics is the relationship between the Centre and the states…. A potentially much more important issue was Nehru’s suggestion to the J & K Government to examine feasibility of Shaikh Abdullah’s release…. Nehru’s fascination with science comes through, loud and clear, in his address to the annual session of the Science Congress. He speaks about the scientific temper and the scientific approach, particularly from the point of view of the development of atomic energy….. Perhaps the most important single development at home was the initiation of the Nagarjunasagar project in Andhra and Hyderabad…. the historical monuments at the site of the dam would be removed piece by piece and reconstructed on the top of a hill nearby. Tibor Mende’s conversations with Nehru is an exercise in self-analysis at a critical moment…