Skip to content Skip to navigation

Remembering Panditji

Forty-four years ago on May 27 the first Prime Minister of India died in harness. About Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad wrote in his autobiography: ‘Jawaharlal asked me in despair, what other alternative there was to accepting partition?……..I told Jawaharlal that I could not accept his views.’ Azad added: ‘The Muslim League had accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan, and a satisfactory solution of the Indian problems seemed in sight. Unfortunately the position changed and Mr. Jinnah got a chance of withdrawing from the League’s earlier acceptance of the Plan…… I warned Jawaharlal that history would not forgive us if we agreed to partition. The verdict would then be that India was divided as much by the Muslim League as by the Congress.’ Partition was then inevitable.

In the 1946 July election of Congress President, Maulana Azad would not accept the high office. He desired unanimous election. The contest meant fighting over the opposite issues: Cabinet Mission Plan or Mountbatten Plan? As Vallabhbhai was adamant and would not withdraw, Azad withdrew himself. In my view Azad should not have withdrawn. In the contest he was sure to be re-elected. His was an error of judgment, nay his life’s blunder. The course of history would have been otherwise. There would have been no partition.

The majority in Congress was for the Poona Formula and Meerut Congress resolution of November 1946 – the ‘Congress Formula’ vis-a-vis Cabinet Mission Plan, and strongly against partition. Azad’s Working Committee would have given an altogether different course to the events. Maulana later confessed his error. India as a whole was in no mood to accept partition. So Vallabhbhai found slender support in the Congress. There was confusion – a deadlock. The Congress was caught on the horns of dilemma. Patel had no chance. At the end Jawaharlal was found to be the missing link. He was unanimously elected July 22, 1946. This weak link soon broke down.

I am tempted to ask, why Jawaharlal, who always soared high and who was a staunch, uncompromising opponent of partition of India up to the last, at last succumbed to Mountbatten? Thou too, Brutus!……Nehru did not hold Patel’s view; on the contrary, he was radically opposed to it. In fact, Nehru admitted that ‘Partition was wrong’, but he felt that it was ‘inevitable’, and that ‘it would be wisdom not to oppose what was bound to happen’, and that ‘it would not be wisdom to oppose Lord Mountbatten on this issue’! Jawaharlal accepted defeat, surrendered totally. He ‘believed’ that his friends, the Mountbattens ‘acted in India’s interests as zealously as any India could have done’, so wrote Allen Andrews under the caption, ‘The Fantastic Mountbattens’.

My own reading is: Jawaharlal Nehru might have pleaded that, in the then compelling circumstances ‘individuals did not count’; no ‘static’ thinking would do; ‘force of rapid events’ were compelling; the Congress must take ‘dynamic decision’ in the exigency of the situation that developed; etc. That was all playing to the gallery. But the fact remains that he completely succumbed to the overtures of Mountbatten. And, as a very shrewd politician that he was, he foresaw that it was ‘wisdom’ not to range himself against Patel, the coming hero of partition and therefore to be the sole leader of Congress as soon as partition became a fait accompli: A battle for leadership! In power politics ‘wisdom’ is dictated by majority of votes. Jawaharlal Nehru was after all a ‘democratic leader’! It is an open secret that this battle of leadership and wits between Nehru and Patel continued ad nauseam until the latter made his journey to the ‘bourne from which no traveller ever returns’. Behold, the partition resolution of June 14, 1947, was passed in the A.I.C.C. – the last resolution in pre-independence Congress, by 29 votes for Patel-cum-Nehru and 15 against! (My father, Maulana M. Tayyebulla, Assam Congress President voted ‘against’.) Too many abstentions and absentees….

With all the weaknesses that every political leader has, Panditji remains the most respected, loved, adored and remembered Prime Minister.

Comments

nayan's picture

Nehru was responsible for partition of India. He was selfish and power hungry.

Pages

Add new comment

Random Stories

AGP demands CBI probes

9 Jul 2015 - 2:49pm | AT News
The Asom Gana Parishad demands CBI probe into APSC scam where a section of the candidates managed to get selection for the ACS, APS and allied services for money.  Addressing a press conference...

Meghalaya as Christmas & New Year destination

12 Dec 2013 - 1:41pm | Saidul Khan
Meghalaya CM Dr. Mukul Sangma Wednesday mooted for promoting the state as a popular destination for Christmas and New Year celebration. Dr. Sangma told a gathering at the Winter Festival in Tura that...

Rajnath Singh in Guwahati

29 Nov 2014 - 12:03pm | AT News
Union home minister Rajnath Singh is on a three days visit to the north east. Singh arrived in Guwahati on Friday evening a day before the DGP-IGP conference in the city. He is laying the foundation...

Chopper crashes in Deomali!

4 Aug 2015 - 6:28pm | AT News
The chopper carrying the Tirap Deputy Commissioner is believed to have crashed at a dense jungle in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday.Local residents in Deomali near Tirap claimed to have seen something...

Other Contents by Author

The transfer and posting of a senior police officer, attached to the anti corruption cell has raised doubts over the Sonowal government's vision of a corruption-free society. In a bid that evoked sharp reaction across the state, the government has transferred Mukul Saikia at a time when he was firmly dealing with a few sensational investigations. The senior IPS officer is known for his firmness' and submitted many fearless revelations in the past. Of, late, he was heading the investigations of the multi crore scam social welfare scam apart from the cash for job scam in the Assam Public Service Commission. But suddenly the government issued a notification on Wednesday reposting him as...
Security forces had a narrow escape when on Sunday morning when an attempt by s joint ULFA-I and NSCN-K team missed the target in Tinsukia district. The incident took place on early in the morning when security forces were moving in the area and as they reached the Jagun area rebels indiscriminately targettef them from the dense jungle who managed to flee immediately. A massive operation is underway. But nobody has been caught so far.
 After days of will-they-won’t-they, police have arrested Akhil Gogoi on Sunday in connection with the recent protest in Kaziranga. A group of policemen caught the KMSS leaders from his residence in Chandmari in Guwahati in the morning charging him with aiding and abetting the people who staged protest against the eviction drive in the world heritage site where two people were killed in police firing. Gogoi, who took the leader allegedly fled from the scene and since then policemen in Guwahati and Bokakhar have been looking for him to be arrested.
Along with the rest of the nation the 70th Independence day was  celebrated in Tangla with three days long programme schedule with gaiety and fervour by administration of Harisinga Revenue Circle and local public. On Monday in the morning at 9 am Lakyhya Jyoti Das Circle Officer, Khoirabari Revenue Circle hoisted the tri-colour at Tangla HS field.Delivering his speech Das said," Along with the development and progress peace and fraternity is needed for which the co-operation of people is necessary. He further said that "Youths of the nation should join hands in Nation building. He also spoke on the urgent need of mitigating the Man-elephant conflict in Udalguri district, need for...
The shoot out in Karbi Anglong district seems to have mired in controversy as the authority has called it an incident of accidental firing where a policeman was killed. Official sources in Guwahati denied any militant attack on the Rongbongway police station where policeman Ratul Gogoi died in the wee hours. Earlier, it was believed to be a rebel attack in the run up to the Independence Day
In yet another landmark development in the Manipur’s poll political landscape, Irom Sharmila on Tuesday announced to end her fast to fight the upcoming assembly polls. Talking to reporters at the Imphal Court premises, she said that she is waiting for August 9 to break her 15 year long fast. She observed that during her 15 year long she got no response from the people in power and that there is hardly any hope a positive response in near future. She said that she has no option but to politically fight the draconian Act that empowers the armed forces to unleash reign of terror on the common people. The decision is bound to have a huge impact on the state’s political scenario in the north...
An health awareness programme was held at the conference hall of Tangla College on Wednesday. The programme was inaugurated by Dr. Prasen Daimari Principal Tangla College. It was presided over by outgoing vice principal B.M Singh. Convenor IQAC Anima Bhuyan Baruah spoke on the purpose of the programme. Dr. Hara Kanta Das Retd. District Joint  Director Department of health,Government of Assam was present in the programme as resource person. NRHM District Committee Mobiliser  Mousumi Kalita was also present in the programme. The programme was organized by Health care cell, IQAC Tangla College in collaboration with Health department govt. of Assam.
BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary,who is also president of Bodoland Peoples Front(BPF) party files a defamation case against Abdur Rahim Khan,MLA of All India Democratic Front(AIUDF) of  No.43 Barpeta constituency of Assam  today at Chief Judicial Magistrate Court,Kokrajhar demanding strong punishment to Khan. Mohilary demanding strong punishment to Khan,MLA from AIUDF party files defamation with CJM court in Kokrajhar district of Assam,which was case registered with court 142/2016,under/section(u/s) 499/500/501/502 of the India Penal code(IPC),1860. Khan had commented defamtory words on Mohilary on February 1 last terming that Mohilary belonged to terrorist of blood,killer, BPF is...
The Theme Song of the 12th South Asian Games, 2016 was launched amid thunderous applause of thousands of people and volunteers, gathered for the Run for North East and the Torch Relay in Guwahati this morning. The theme song is one of Late Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s immortal creations ‘Ei Prithibi Ek Krirangon’.  Launching the theme song, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports (I/C) Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Bhupenda’s vision and universal appeal of humanity and brotherhood would keep inspiring us and the whole world.” He further added that the Theme song perfectly expresses the vision of the Games, that is, peace, progress and prosperity.  Minister of Transport, Excise,...
BTC deputy chief Kampa Borgoyary inaugurated the delegate session of the 19th annual convention of the Journalists' Union of Assam (JUA), which has got underway with two-day programme scheduled here at Basic Training Centre in Kokrajhar today.   Borgoyary, in his speech urged the journalist fraternity to be dedicated and devotion to the building of national integrity highlighting human resource as well social upliftment in the country. He said that BTC administration was working for all round development  since it's created under Sixth scheduled of Indian constituency through which region got ray of development and spirits of the social integrity. The convention has witness...