Author: Tarun Vijay
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: December 12, 2002
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=14612
It's good to find that Sardar Patel
has re-emerged in the Congress Party's offices, at least in Gujarat. It
will be interesting to know that in the offices of the Deputy Prime Minister
L K Advani and BJP president Venkaiah Naidu, one does not find portraits
of either Shyama Prasad Mookerji or Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, but of Sardar
Patel.
His photos may be found even in
some RSS offices. That the Congress, which saw nothing beyond the Nehrus
until now and which named all buildings, squares and stadiums under its
control after the descendants of the Nehru dynasty, has to take refuge
in the Sardar signifies the power of the Hindu votebank.
This is the time to dwell on what
Sardar stood for and the reasons for the serious differences between the
then Prime Minister and his deputy Prime Minister during those turbulent
days. Nothing gives us more insight than the diary of the Sardar's daughter,
Maniben Patel (edited by P N Chopra, published by Vision Books).
It reveals how Nehru could not tolerate
the Sardar's stature, how he tried to demolish the institution of collective
leadership and humiliate him on issues like Kashmir. It also tells us the
Sardar's views on Communists, Muslims and the conversion of Hindus.
Nehru tried to go soft on the Hyderabad
action, apparently to appease Muslims. But the Sardar told C Rajgopalachari
in no uncertain terms that nothing would stop him from pursuing strong
action to remove ''an ulcer', and that Nehru should remain within his limits.
The diary says: ''Sardar Patel bluntly
told Rajaji that he would not want the future generations to blame and
curse him for allowing an ulcer in the heart of India. On one side is western
Pakistan and on the other side eastern Pakistan (with their idea of (a)
pan-Islamic bloc... (they want to) come to Delhi and establish the Mughal
empire again. Once we enter Hyderabad, it is no longer an international
affair. It is the States Ministry's function. How long are you and Panditji
going to bypass the Ministry of the States and carry on?'' (September 13,
1948).
Those who publish Patel's photographs
on their manifestos in Gujarat don't have the courage to call a spade a
spade. Kashmir alone isn't behind Pakistan's hatred for India. It's just
a manifestation of centuries old animosity against Hindus that has continued
since the times of Muhammad bin Qasim. Give them Kashmir today, they will
find another excuse to attack us next day till he reaches Delhi.
The diary says, ''Sardar Patel was
very unhappy that Nehru had taken the Kashmir issue to the UN which tied
India's hands. His idea was that India should extricate itself from the
UN patiently and then solve the Kashmir problem forever. He was also unhappy
when reports came that the fertilised land left behind in Jammu by Muslim
zamindars who had migrated to Pakistan was not being given to Hindu refugees.
Instead, the Sheikh was insisting
on settling only Muslim refugees on such land (May 1, 1949)... (there were
reports) that the majority of government employees were pro-Pakistani.''
Exactly the same complaints we hear from the Valley and even Jammu today.
Nehru was a close friend of Sheikh
Abdullah, while the Sardar didn't trust him at all. The diary reveals that
even Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, former prime minister of Kashmir, felt that
the Sardar could have solved Kashmir if Nehru had not intervened. ''Bakshi
Ghulam Mohammad, on the other hand, was insisting that the Sardar should
settle the Kashmir issue as he had done Hyderabad. But Nehru would not
allow it. Iyengar reported that the Sheikh wanted to have an independent
Kashmir. Upon hearing this, the Sardar said he would ask the Maharaja to
return to Jammu as he did not place any trust in Sheikh Abdullah (May 12,
1949).''
Maniben also refers to a discussion
about the possibility of the partition of Kashmir which involved India
retaining Jammu and handing over the rest of the state to Pakistan. Patel
retorted: ''We want the entire territory... and battle for the whole of
Kashmir" (July 23, 1949).
The Sardar was happy to see Guru
Golwalkar, the then RSS chief, released from jail and wanted to welcome
RSS workers in the Congress. On 3rd August, 49, says the diary: ''Glad
at release of Golwalkar-ready to welcome in Congress. Bapu's (Sardar's)
task to make their entry easy.''
Today, a Congress leader attends
an Osama tainted institute in London but won't say a word on the atrocities
on Hindus in Bangladesh. The Sardar reacted differently under similar circumstances.
Maniben records: ''Sardar Patel was not happy with the Nehru-Liaquat Ali
Pact as it did not stop the exodus of Hindus from East Pakistan which went
on increasing and a large number of Hindus continued to migrate to India.
Sardar Patel observed that he was
not so much worried about the killings, after all 30 lakh people had died
in the Bengal famine, but he could not stand assaults on women and their
forcible conversion to Islam... (April 5, 1950).
The Sardar further said: ''Hindus
had been totally finished in Sind, Punjab, Baluchistan and Frontier Provinces.
It was being repeated in East Pakistan and people like Hafizur Rehman,
who had stayed on in India, would be clamouring for (a) homeland in India.
What would be our position then. Our posterity would call us traitors.''
(April 24, 1950)
Sardar Patel did not trust the Communists
either. He told M O Mathai, Nehru's Special Assistant, ''If we have to
build up the nation, Communists would have no place there.'' (September
13, 1948).'' He didn't know that though his photo would be used on the
Congress manifesto, and that the same people would join hands with the
Communists whom he hated the most.
Interestingly, Maniben mentions
in her diary that Sardar had one common goal with Savarkar. They differed
on several issues but both of them wanted the ''four crore Muslims in India
to be loyal to the country; otherwise there was no place for them (August
16, 1949).'' Compare these views with the RSS stand today!
(The writer is editor of the RSS
journal Panchjanya)
