@Ivanotter well nuclear development was inevitable. The Indian subcontinent is not spectacularly rich in hydrocarbons, although coal is plentiful in central india. Maybe the equivalent of the OTL 70s oil shock can nudge Unified India to a more pro-nuclear energy policy.
As for the bomb, well obviously if China has one then India will have to get one.
Kashmir will be pretty much like the rest of the muslim majority areas in the indian subcontinent. In other words, tensions will exist but won't be overwhelming. Also the absence of a Muslim State and a nuclear power like pakistan will certainly dent the ideology of Islamism in the long run.
If the Soviets invade Afghanistan we can easily see india playing a role similar to pakistan OTL. Being neighbours with Russia or the Soviet union was never an appealing idea for any country.
India is already surprisingly accommodating to its muslim populace. And there is a very simple reason for it.
Something called 'Vote-Bank' politics is very popular in India OTL; i don't see it being any different ITTL. This vote-bank politics basically is that people vote for candidates for their own community whether it be religious, ethnic or caste based community, instead of voting on ideological lines. This was very prevalent until the last election.
So a candidate who appeals to a certain section of voters, through his connections with the community will most certainly get the votes of that specific community. Such communities are thus called a 'vote-bank' for the candidate.
And among the most valued vote banks are the muslim community in OTL India. The reason being is that not only do they vote for a specific candidate who appeals to their community, they vote uniformly, i.e., all of them vote for one candidate or the other, in large numbers and vote nationwide for the same party as the candidate.
This has resulted in indian muslims getting a lot of benefits, most of which are tbh meaningless but are appealing to many muslims.
For example, Pakistan an Islamic republic charges a tax on Muslims going on the Haj ( most important islamic pilgrimage ) while in India the muslims get a tax break, or even government funding, apart from boarding and lodging and special trains, planes and ships for their journey.
We could have seen OTL india become a major economy by the mid to late-80s if it was not so grossly mis-ruled post independence.
A unified India, ruled by a string of capable leaders, would most definitely be a major economy by the late 60s - early 70s, perhaps even the second largest by the 80s.
@vital.peacekeeper While political annexation and expansion into Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan are unlikely, economic hegemony of the economies can't be ruled out. OTL India is already one the two largest trading partners of all three countries, ITTL it will be even more dominant.
Annexation is unlikely as there is little historical precedent for it in Indian History. Most powers that rose in the sub-continent were content with ruling most if not all of the sub-continent. They rarely expanded beyond the subcontinent (exceptions being the Cholas in the south, whole basically had no more room to grow but for expanding into southeast asia)
I think it will be more likely that india instead tries to create a EEC style customs union with most of south and southeast asia. After economic domination was the name of the game in the later half of the 20th century.
Iran could be a potential rival of India, especially if Iran goes red in the 50s.
As for tibet, well it wouldn't hurt to have a speed bump between China and India. America will surely approve, especially if India grows closer to the US earlier on, ITTL.
@fasquardon yes everything that you just said. You are pretty much right on the dime with your analysis.
@ramones1986 The whole world shall gyrate to hip-swaying tunes of Indian pop-culture!!
@King Nazar IMHO, quite possibly. Being neighbours of russia has had a history of turning friends into enemies. I don't see how the Indians won't be threatened by a Soviet presence in Afghanistan. Especially if communist insurgencies break out, then that will certainly push india into the pro-US bloc.
Secondly, most of British India's capitalist class was based in the provinces of Bengal, Sindh and Punjab, apart from Gujarat and Bombay. With them being around, i can expect a stronger anti-socialist political force to be present earlier on in Indian political history. Maybe congress is less socialist ITTL in order to get funding from the rich businessmen in the aforementioned states.
So closer ties with the US cannot be ruled out.
Looking forward to continuing this discussion!
