Friends and admirers of former Union Minister VK Krishna Menon showered lavish praises on the master diplomat saying his "passionate" articulations put India's stand on Kashmir under international focus.
Historians and diplomats said Menon, who as Defence Minister received flak for India's debacle in the 1962 Sino-India war, led a spirited "ideological battle" to garner middle class support in the UK for India's freedom struggle.
Former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, who worked closely with Menon in the 1960s, said "his speech in the UN General Assembly was the first such speech when the world came to know there was an Indian point of view to the Kashmir issue."
Recalling his experiences in the UNGA, Natwar said Menon gave a tit-for-tat reply to the Pakistani envoy when he alleged that elections in Jammu and Kashmir were rigged, by saying that people who had never seen a ballot box were talking about malpractices in polls.
Menon was a "temperamental person and social disaster" to deal with but had an excellent rapport with world leaders including Cuban president Fidel Castro, Natwar said releasing Suhash Chakravarty's "Crusader Extraordinary -- Krishna Menon and India League 1932-1936" last evening.
Renowned historian BR Nanda said Menon and the India League worked hard to drum up support from local Britishers for the freedom struggle when both Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were imprisoned in the 1930s.
{{/usCountry}}Renowned historian BR Nanda said Menon and the India League worked hard to drum up support from local Britishers for the freedom struggle when both Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were imprisoned in the 1930s.
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