Mother India: “By the pricking of
my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.”
Hi, Everyone! In 1937,
the Congress came right out and revealed its goal of total control in the
governing of India. They had the Hindus in their pocket, and were under the
impression that the Muslims would also happily crawl in there. Well, they
certainly had a rude awakening!
In his book, History of the Freedom Movement in India,
vol. III (hence forth in all the posts to be called HFMI, vol. III) page
551-552, R. C. Majumdar, a noted historian, writes:
“The
result of the elections held in 1937 belied the claims of both the Congress and
the Muslim League. . . . It was a clear indication that the
Congress organization had no contact with the Muslim masses and had very little
influence over them. The Congress could not therefore advance any reasonable
claim to represent the Muslims. . . .
It
is not a little curious that the Muslim League had a specially bad record of
election success in those Provinces like Bengal, the Punjab, Sindh and
North-West Frontier Province where the Muslims formed the majority community,
and fared much better in the Provinces which had a strong Hindu majority with a
significant and vocal minority.”
[Point to note:
·
the Muslims of the very
provinces which went to Pakistan in 1947 had happily voted for nationalist
Muslim parties in 1937. . . !
A Central Federation at this time would have bound them to a united
India.]
“The reason is that the Muslim
League had no special positive programme which distinguished it from the other
parties and had no local influence in any Province. It throve only on its
assumed character as a bulwark of defence against Hindu attack. The Provinces
with a Muslim majority had no genuine fear of such an attack, and were not
therefore susceptible to the propaganda of the League.
It is only when the Muslim masses learnt
to look upon the problem from an all-India perspective that the Muslim League
emerged as the most powerful Muslim organization. . . .
The credit of Jinnah lies in the
fact that he succeeded in developing this political consciousness among the
Muslims within an incredibly short time. . . .”
And to do
that, he too brought religion into politics.
“He touched the chord of religious
feelings of the Muslims which have always proved a potent factor in Muslim
politics. ‘The Mullahs of the
countryside were soon up in arms against the Congress propagandist
. . .’ The Congress mass contact movement, which had made some
headway, collapsed under the attack of the Mullahs.”[1]
To continue (HFMI, vol.
III, page 551-552):
“The intransigence of the Congress
high command helped its growth. They took their stand on the theory that the
Congress represented the whole of India . . . They ignored the
Muslim League as having no influence over the masses and only representing a
‘microscopic minority’ of the Muslims . . . But they discounted
the idea that there may be a national urge among the Muslims limited to their
own community . . . and though a nationalist may disapprove such
a development, a Statesman can ignore it at his peril.
Jawaharlal Nehru in
particular, among the Congress leaders must be held highly guilty in this
respect. . . .
It [Congress] did not learn the
obvious lesson of coming to terms with the Muslim League till by its
[Congress’s] folly the League had attained a position when it could dictate its
own terms, and demanded Pakistan as the only basis of settlement.”
This is how R. C. Majumdar wraps it up in a
nutshell:
·
“In 1937 his [Nehru’s]
outright rejection of Jinnah’s offer of Congress-League Coalition Ministry
ruined the last chance of a Hindu-Muslim agreement.”
So much for the much-touted Congress Hindu-Muslim
unity demand of the Congress. . . !
·
As I said, making a demand is one thing
but without follow-up by action it is just so much hot air.
But
what exactly was it that Congress and Nehru did?
Find out tomorrow!
Anurupa
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