India, March 26 -- In a country of 1.5 billion people, which Amartya Sen has called argumentative by instinct, there are many views on what exactly is India's national interest. At the risk of a sweeping generalisation, these views, as they exist in the public realm today, can be broadly classified into two types.

The first argues that Jawaharlal Nehru's world-view and its prolonged influence on the Indian state have undermined national interest since the nation was born. We are told the current regime has been trying very hard to rejuvenate it through a host of efforts and interventions. The second view is tantamount to saying that the current regime is liquidating India's national interest by undoing the hard-earned achievements and cr...