13process. Hence, they were not enamoured by Nehru’s anti-colonial and
anti-imperial legacy (Agwani 1992 ) and there was little interest conver-
gence between the Indian nationalist movement and the al-Saud.
This was in contrast to the contacts between the Egyptian (Sawant and
Rizvi 1980 ) and Palestinian nationalists (Agwani 1971 ; Abu-Laghod
1991 ) and their Indian counterparts. Interestingly some of the political
contacts between the Indian leaders, especially the Ali Brothers who led
the Khilafat Movement in the early 1920s, and Arab-Palestinian leaders
took place on the Saudi territory during the haj (Kumaraswamy 2010 ,
61) but there was little interaction between the Indian nationalists and
the Saudi leadership.
On the eve of India’s independence, Nehru hosted the Arab Relations
Conference in Delhi in March–April 1947 and from the Middle East del-
egates from Egypt, Iran, Turkey and the Arab League were present and
indeed a ten-member Jewish delegation from Palestine took part in the
meeting, seen as the forerunner of future Afro-Asian solidarity and Non-
aligned Movement (NAM). Saudi Arabia, which was formed in 1932, was
conspicuous by its absence (Asian Relations Organization 1948, 264–79).
One might even say that in terms of political contacts and diplomatic rela-
tions, Nehru had an empty slate vis-à-vis the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
when he became prime minister of India in 1947.
Framing the Priorities
Prime Minister Nehru was confronted with the challenge of nation-building
of a country of enormous religious, ethnic, cultural, linguistic and ideo-
logical diversities. The post-partition riots in which about a million people
were killed (Moon 1962 ) meant that inter-communal harmony acquired
paramount importance. This could only be achieved through an inclusive
India that recognizes and accepts its socio-cultural diversities and fault
lines. Incorporating over 500 notionally independent princely states into
the Indian union had to be accomplished through political accommoda-
tion and foresight. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who served as Home
Minister during August 1947 and until his death in December 1950,
was credited for the integration of these princely states into the union
(Ahluwalia 1974 ).
At the same, the developmental agenda was herculean and was under-
mined by the Cold War. Beginning in the post-War Europe, the power
struggle soon engulfed different parts of the world. Even before independence,
THE NEHRU ERA