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10November201418:01IST

MaulanaAbulKalamAzadandPartition
FeatureMaulanaAbulKalam

SitaramSharma*

AmongCongressmenthegreatestsupporterofpartitionwasSardarVallabhbhaiPatel,
butevenhedidnotbelievethatpartitionwasthebestsolutionoftheIndianproblem.Hethrew
his weight in the favour of partition out of irritation and injured vanity. He found himself
frustratedateverystepbythevetoputonhisproposalsbyLiaqatAliKhanasFinanceMinister.
It was therefore sheer anger that he decided that if there was no other alternative, partition
should be accepted. He was also convinced that the new state of Pakistan was not viable and
could not last. He thought that the acceptance of Pakistan would teach the Muslim League a
bitter lesson. Pakistan would collapse in a short time and provinces which had seceded from
IndiawouldhavetofaceuntolddifficultyandhardshipWroteMaulanaAbulKalamAzadin
his autobiography India Wins Freedom while reviewing the situation ten years after
Independencein1957.

There is also an opinion that Azad had blamed Nehru for sabotaging possibilities of
reconciliation between Congress and Muslim League on two occasions. First in 1937 for not
acceptingMuhammadAliJinnahsdemandforincludingtworepresentativesofMuslimLeaguein
theUPMinistrythatwasformedaftertheelections.SecondlywhenNehruissuedastatementthat
theConstitutionofFreeIndiawillbeframedbyelectedrepresentativesandnottobeboundbythe
schemeagreeduponwiththeCabinetMission.

ItiswellknownthatMaulanaAzadwasanoutspokenopponentofMohammadAliJinnah
andPartitionandasymbolofcollectivewillofMuslimstocoexistinasecularIndia.Inapress
statement on 15 April 1946 as Congress President Maulana said, I have considered from every
possiblepointofviewtheschemeofPakistanasformulatedbytheMuslimLeague.AsanIndian,I
haveexaminedtheimplicationforthefutureofIndiaasawhole.AsaMuslimIhaveexaminedits
likelyeffectsuponthefuturesofMuslimsofIndia.ConsideringtheschemeinallitsaspectsIhave
cometoconclusionthatitisharmfulnotonlyforIndiaasawholebutforMuslimsinparticular.
Andinfactitcreatesmoreproblemsthanitsolves.

MaulanaAzadasCongressPresidenttriedtoconvinceJinnahtochangehisrigidattitude
and sent him a confidential telegram: I have read your statement of 9 July. Delhi resolution is
genuineaboutnationalgovernmentwhichwouldmeanacoalitionnotconfinedtoanysingleparty.
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But the League not prepared to agree to any transnational scheme which is not based on Two
Nationscheme.

Jinnahsresponsetothiswasnotonlynegativebutpositivelyinsulting.Idonotwantyour
confidence.YouhavetotallylostconfidenceofMuslimIndia.DontyoufeelthattheCongresshas
made you a show boy President to hoodwink non Congress parties and other Countries of the
world?YourepresentneitherMuslimsnorHindus.ThisCongressisaHinduorganisationandif
youhaveanyselfrespectyoushouldresignforthwith.

ItisameasureofMaulanaAzadsgenerosityandcommitmenttothecauseofunitythat
inspiteofthisimpudencehedidnotopposeMahatmaGandhiseffortstopersuadeJinnah.Gandhi
could not bring about a change of heart in Jinnah. His response to Gandhi was no different.
Ignoring all pleadings of Gandhi, he reasserted his TwoNation theory saying: we can
confidentially affirm that according to all standards and definitions Muslims and Hindus are two
majornations.Weareanationintermsofallinternationalmeasuresandprinciples.

MaulanaAzaddidhisbesttoconvincetheCongressleaderstowaittillacorrectsolution
was found, but he was not successful. Maulana attributed it to blindness of Congress leaders to
facts,andtheirangerandfrustrationcloudingtheirvision.

It seems Jinnah believed that political promises were not meant to be honoured. After
partition, the most ridiculous position was that of the Muslim League leaders who remained in
India.JinnahleftforKarachiwithamessagetohisfollowersthatnowthatthecountrywasdivided
they should be loyal citizens of India. When these angry and disillusioned leaders met Maulana
AzadtocomplainthatJinnahhaddeceivedthemandlefttheminlurch,Maulanawasamused,he
wondered, I could not at first understand what they meant by saying that Jinnah had deceived
them. He had openly demanded partition of the country on the basis of Muslim majority
provinces.

ThatJinnahwasjustplayingagameandnotseriousabouthistheoryisevidentfromthe
position he adopted in his first address to the Constituent Assembly of the newly created nation
stateofPakistan.AfterhavingdefeatedtheeffortsofAzadandGandhi,thankstothecunningof
theimperialistrulersheadvocatednationhoodforthenewcountryandadviseditsinhabitantsnot
tolookuponthemselvesintermsofHindusandMuslimsbutasPakistanis.Onthebasisofthatone
statementsomehistorianshavemadeoutthathewasreallyasecularist.ThecriticismfacedbyBJP
stalwartL.K.AdvaniforhisstatementonthisaccountonJinnahisnowapartofthehistory.

HoweverMaulanaAzadhadexposedthehypocrisyofJinnahonseveralcountsincluding
his TwoNation theory based on religion. Maulana said, It is one of the greatest frauds on the
people to suggest that religious affinity can unite areas which are geographically, economically,
linguistically and culturally different. It is true that Islam sought to establish a society which
transcendsracial,linguistic,economicandpoliticalfrontiers.Historyhashoweverprovedthatafter
the first century, Islam was not able to unite all Muslim countries into one state on the basis of
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Islamalone.

Assertingthatthiswasthepositioninthepastandthisisthepositiontoday,Maulana
predicted in 1958 that No one can hope that East and West Pakistan will compose all their
differencesandformonenation.Ashistoryshowed,EastPakistansecededfromWestPakistanto
emergein1971asanIndependentBangladesh.

HowpropheticMaulanaAzadwas,whenhesaid,EvenwithinWestPakistan,thethree
provinces of Sind, Punjab and the Frontier have internal incompatibility and are working for
separateaimsandinterests.AyearbeforePakistanwascreatedMaulanaAzadinaninterviewto
LahorebasedUrdumagazineChattanpredictedthedarknessthatengulfsPakistantoday.

History alone will decide whether we have acted wisely and correctly in accepting
partition.Maulanawashimselfconsciousofthefactthatnotmanypeoplewentalongwithhim.
He said, In religion, in literature, in politics on the path of philosophy, wherever I went I went
alone.TheCaravansofthetimesdidnotsupportmeonanyofmyjourneys.

*ShriSitaramSharmaisChairman,MaulanaAbulKalamAzadInstituteofAsianStudies,
KolkattaundertheaegisofMinistryofCulture,Govt.ofIndia.
**November11,2014isthe125thBirthAnniversaryofMaulanaAbulKalamAzad.

(PIBFeatures)
Email:featuresunit@gmail.com
himalaya@nic.in

SS237/SF237/10.11.2014
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