Genuine non-alignment
Topic: India's External Relations, 1947-1999: Non-alignment, Wars and Nuclear Policy · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "India's External Relations"
Meaning
"Genuine non-alignment" was the foreign policy line of the Janata government that came to power in 1977. It promised to correct what it saw as Indira Gandhi's pro-Soviet tilt, meaning leaning too close to the USSR. The idea was to return to true non-alignment: staying out of Cold War military blocs and judging each issue on its own merits. Since then, every government, Congress or not, has tried to improve ties with both China and the US.
Example
In 1979 Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then External Affairs Minister in the Janata government, visited China. This was a step towards warmer ties after the 1962 war.
Don't confuse with
- Non-alignment (Nehru era): this was the original policy of staying out of both Cold War blocs from 1947. Genuine non-alignment was the Janata government's 1977 effort to restore that balance after the 1971 treaty with the USSR.