How did democratic India emerge?

Yet the millions who rejoiced throughout the sub-continent, thrilled to Nehru's midnight speech on India's 'tryst with destiny', and made of 15 August an unforgettable experience even for someone who was then only a child, had not been entirely deluded. The communists in 1948-51 learnt to their cost that the slogan Yeh Azadi Jhuta Hai (this freedom is false) cut little ice. Indian freedom was the beginning of a process of decolonization which has proved irresistible, at least so far as political independence is concerned. Far from becoming a puppet of Britain or the U.S.A., India under Nehru did gradually develop an independent foreign policy, based on the then-novel concept of non-alignment and friendship with socialist countries and the emerging Third World. A broadly democratic constitution was promulgated in January 1950, despite many limitations a big advance on British Indian institutions which had avoided universal suffrage till the very end. Princes and zamindars were gradually eased out, land ceilings imposed though seldom implemented, the old ideal of linguistic reorganization of States was achieved in 1956, basic industries were built up through planned development of the public sector, and food production increased considerably in sharp contrast to the near-stagnation of the first half of the century.