Nepal, Aug. 23 -- In 1937, The Modern Review (India) published an article titled The Rashtrapati written under the pseudonym Chanakya. It was written against the backdrop of rising strongmen in European states-Hitler in Germany, Stalin in Russia, and Mussolini in Italy. Chanakya is critical of Jawaharlal Nehru, whose popularity was rising among the Indian populace and the cadres of the Indian National Congress. The article was an early warning against the hero-worship of politicians and about how such behaviour from the citizenry, seeking a saviour, could jeopardise democracy. Chanakya recognises this peril and writes, "Therein lies the danger for Jawaharlal and for India."

A new democracy like Nepal could also succumb to such a threat w...