Budget Session: Prime Minister Narendra Modi referenced a book authored by a former CIA agent to criticize the Congress party and its key figures, including Jawaharlal Nehru and Rahul Gandhi, regarding foreign policy issues.
“I want to advise those who are genuinely curious about foreign policy and wish to engage with it in the future to read a specific book. The title is JFK’s Forgotten Crisis,” Modi stated in response to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha.
The prime minister mentioned that this book also sheds light on the dialogues and decisions made between India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru, and the then-US President. “During times when the nation was grappling with numerous challenges, this book reveals the dynamics at play under the guise of foreign policy,” Modi noted.
By invoking the book, Modi aimed criticisms at both Rahul Gandhi and Nehru regarding their foreign policy approach. Gandhi had previously questioned why Modi was not invited to attend the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on January 20. Gandhi contended that if an efficient system had been in place, the foreign minister would not have had to travel to the US to ‘seek’ invitations for the prime minister, igniting controversy.
CIA official Bruce Riedel
Entitled ‘JFK’s Forgotten Crisis: Tibet, the CIA and the Sino-Indian War,’ the book featuring Nehru and JFK on its cover, written by former CIA official Bruce Riedel, gained attention following its 2015 release for its references to Nehru. According to the book, the Congress leader had sought US support and requested then-President Kennedy to supply India with jet fighters to combat Chinese aggression during the turmoil.
The book is frequently referenced by BJP advocates who highlight its assertion that “Nehru was more engaged in conversing with Jackie (JFK’s wife) than with (President) Kennedy…”
“The examples from ‘JFK’s Forgotten Crisis: Tibet, the CIA and the Sino-Indian War’ by Bruce Riedel, referred to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha,” noted Kanchan Gupta, Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, in a post on X.
Nehru was more engaged in conversations with Jackie (JFK’s wife) than with (President) Kennedy.
The Union Budget 2025 Session of Parliament commenced with President Droupadi Murmu addressing both Houses on January 31 and is set to continue until February 13 in its initial phase. The session will reconvene on March 10 and continue until April 4. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2025 on February 1.
