Political map of India
India: The First Commonwealth Republic
As World War Two drew to a close and the empire took a tally of their losses, national movements towards independence gained strength in The British Raj. This territory, consisting of modern day India, Pakistan, Burma, and more, had been considered the crown jewel in the empire since the mid-19th century. The UK, desperate to maintain a military foothold in Asia and retain the immense manpower India could offer, began to negotiate with nationalist leaders of the Dominion for terms on independence in the Commonwealth. India found itself in a tough choice: if they left the Commonwealth they jeopardized nearly 75% of their trade income, but they likewise chaffed at the idea of remaining a crown Dominion as the other nations in the organization had. After years of negotiation, a deal was struck. In 1949, India's entry forever changed the Commonwealth: no longer did a nation have to be a crown state to be a member.
Pacifist Rebel
Mahatma Gandhi - Indian Nationalist and Spiritual Leader
In his young years as a lawyer, he stayed in the South African Dominion and witnessed first-hand the prejudice and poor treatment of Indians in the Commonwealth, and on his return to India began to form protests and arguments against British presence. In the ill-fated "Quit India" movement in 1942, Gandhi's resistance was met by the British in force. These pacification actions only emboldened Gandhi as he began attempts to push the British out while defending against the partition of Pakistan from the Raj. However, due to outcry of Muslims within the Dominion, he was forced to concede and allow India and Pakistan to be born as two separate nations. Though he distrusted the Commonwealth and doubted any good it could do for the Indian people, Gandhi's movements helped secure the creation of two nations and helped influence the UK's acceptance of India as a free republic in the Commonwealth.
Nehru: From Doubt to Faith
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the Indian Republic, joined Gandhi and many other nationalists in their struggle against the British Empire. Having traveled and experienced racist imperial policies first-hand, Nehru began his political career as an avid anti-imperialist. Through the 1920's and until the mid-1940's, Nehru spoke out against the empire and the Commonwealth as he believed that the idea of an equal Commonwealth was impossible due to the UK's history of colonial oppression. However, as an independent Indian Republic became immanent, he began to meet with Commonwealth delegates and he realized India could gain a favorable deal with remaining a member of the organization while maintaining profitable economic ties. By 1947 Nehru could promise the Indian people that they would remain in the Commonwealth as an independent state. He had influenced the UK to accept India as a partner and navigated away from being a Dominion.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru - First Prime Minister of India
Speech given by Jawaharlal Nehru
India and the Commonwealth
Similar to South Africa, India does not extend many benefits to Commonwealth citizens. Indian citizens maintain the right to vote in their nation's elections, and like all Commonwealth citizens have the right to vote in UK elections while residing in the UK. Indian citizens also enjoy the right to move freely through the UK as citizens rather than residents. However, the Commonwealth has worked with India in building new schools and colleges, and continues to work towards towards enriching India's youth through other scholarships and educational grants. The organization has also worked with the Indian government in training officials on debt management and are working with the government to provide health care to India's impoverished citizens. While the Indian government worked with the Commonwealth in pushing forward the goal of human rights across the world, the recent prime minister, Narendra Modi, has been resistant to engage the organization's leadership during biannual conferences.