Author: V Sundaram
Publication: News Today
Date: January 11, 2006
URL: http://newstodaynet.com/2006sud/06jan/1101ss1.htm
'Grace was in all his steps. Heaven in his
eyes. In every gesture dignity and love'.
In May 1945, the II World War came to an end.
The British Government in India realised that their days in India were coming
to an end. The Congress was divided on the question of partition. Rajaji had
resigned from Congress on this issue. Jinnah was proudly proclaiming the 'Two-Nation
Theory' stating that Muslims could never live in India because he considered
Congress a Hindu party. The Congress officially at this point of time struck
to its anti-Pakistan stand. Lord Wavell and his successor Lord Mountbatten
were surreptitiously supporting Jinnah's demand for a separate Muslim State
of Pakistan. In those dark days, Shri Guruji took a bold and unequivocal stand
on the question of united India or what he called AKHAND BHARATH. He clearly
declared in all his speeches throughout India and more particularly in the
affected States like undivided Punjab, Rajasthan, United Provinces, Bihar
and Bengal that there can be no question of any negotiation or discussion
on the issue of a United India. In 1945-46 he used to attract milling crowds
who wanted to hear his inspiring words on the issue of Akhand Bharath.
All the leading Congress leaders (with the
singular and salutary exception of Mahatma Gandhi), who were released from
prison in 1945, after years of imprisonment, had become far too eager to capture
positions of power and pelf. Despite this disturbing trend, under the influence
and inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress in its session officially
rejected Jinnah's demand for partition in 1945. Soon after the session, Gandhiji
declared: 'Partition can take place only over my dead body'. These words came
as a succour to millions of Hindus in undivided Punjab and elsewhere. The
Hindus therefore took it for granted that partition of India would never take
place.
In order to intimidate and pressurise the
British Government on the one hand and the peace-loving Hindus of India on
the other, Jinnah in a true Jihadi style, announced 16 August 1946 as the
'Direct Action Day'. On that fateful day, riots were incited by Muslim leaders
belonging to the Muslim League all over the country. More particularly, barbaric
massacres and genocide took place on this day in places like Calcutta, Dacca,
Noakhali, striking terror in the hearts of the Hindus. Naturally, there was
a counter reaction. In Bihar, Congress leaders forcibly suppressed such a
rebellion. However, the Congress party and its leaders came to realise that
it would be better to agree to Pakistan rather than invite a civil war and
a terrible blood shed. It is clear now from what happened after independence
that the Congress was fully confident that after agreeing to Jinnah's demand
for Pakistan, in post-independent India, taking advantage of the system of
adult franchise granted to illiterate millions, they could create any number
of secular pockets of Pakistan in India, assuring minority vote banks in the
name of 'secularism'.
In those terrible days, the Sangh had become
a powerful force in Punjab. Shri Guruji in all his public meetings spoke against
the creation of Pakistan. He was personally touring all the affected areas
to maintain and boost up the public morale. In those terrible times, he toured
the whole of Punjab and Sind quite often. The local Congress leaders in all
these areas became very envious of the rising force of the Sangh and the growing
popularity and moral influence of Shri Guruji. Shri Guruji told the Congress
leaders 'not to accept partition' in a meek and tame manner. He often used
to say that Hindu society was capable of tackling the Muslim goondaism. He
exhorted the Hindus and told them not to be unduly disturbed by terrorism,
atrocities and threats of killing. In a famous speech at Nagpur on Vijayadasami
day in 1946 he said: 'I do not think it is manly to talk about non-resistance.
In these days of strife, how can non-resistance ever benefit the country?
I feel a violent struggle is unavoidable. You may well refrain from resistance,
but will that stop the aggressors from indulging in their black deeds? Do
not forget that the sacrificial goat at the Kali temple is an embodiment of
non-resistance. We are not to become such artificial goats. Self-defence is
the natural, legitimate right of every individual and of every society. So
to say that 'one should not take the law into one's own hands merely because
security is the Government's responsibility' is basically illegal'. Shri Guruji,
as one who had taken a degree in law, knew clearly that there was a provision
in the IPC to kill another man in self-defence. Shri Guruji declared in Punjab
on 1 June, 1947: 'We do not know Pakistan, nor do we accept it. We must take
a stand, wherever we are; we should put up an organised resistance. If we
fear to go into that fiery ordeal, and leave our motherland, history will
say that these people felt no pangs of pain over the cutting up of their dear
motherland'.
Despite the fervent appeals of great men like
Shri Guruji, partition was announced on 3 June, 1947. Shri Guruji directed
all the Sangh 'Swayamsevaks' to act as a protective shield to all the Hindus
in Punjab and Sind, who were going to move into India soon after this announcement.
Violence was let loose by the Muslims against innocent Hindus in different
parts of Punjab and Sind. Even in such a state of anarchy and lawlessness,
Sangh's training camps were held in Phagwara and Sangrur in Punjab in the
third week of July 1947. In this traumatic hour, the Sangh 'Swayamsevaks'
proved to be the only ray of hope of succour and survival to the Hindus. Several
eminent international writers of books and articles on partition have paid
great tributes to the Sangh 'Swayamsevaks' and to Shri Guruji for the extraordinary
courage and strength of character shown by them under very trying conditions.
At the instance of Shri Guruji, the Punjab Relief Committee was set up to
provide all-round relief to the uprooted Hindus. Shri Guruji came to be revered
as the sole saviour of the Hindu Society.
In September 1947, on the instruction of Shri
Guruji, RSS volunteers were posted at the Bhangi Colony in New Delhi to give
security to Mahatma Gandhi who was staying there. At that time, neither Nehru
nor Patel, or any of the Congressmen, raised any objection to this arrangement.
On 16 September, 1947, Mahatma Gandhi addressed about 500 members of the RSS
at the Bhangi Colony. The late Shri Jamanlal Bajaj had taken Mahatma Gandhi
to the camp and Gandhi said: 'I am very impressed by their discipline, complete
absence of untouchability and rigorous simplicity. Inspired by the ideal of
service and self-sacrifice, it is bound to grow in strength'.
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at Birla House
on 30 January 1948. Naturam Godse, the assassin, was immediately arrested.
Later he was tried and sentenced to death. On that fateful day at 5 pm Shri
Guruji was in Madras, sipping a cup of tea with his friends. When he heard
of the terrible news, he sent telegrams to Patel and Nehru assuring them of
all help at that time of trial and tragedy. Shri Guruji immediately flew to
Nagpur. On 1 February, 1948, hundreds of goondas gathered outside Shri Guruji's
house in Nagpur and started pelting stones. On the same day, Shri Guruji was
arrested by the police on the charge of Gandhiji's assassination under sections
320 and 120 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Was it not a lurid example of
Nehru's callous thoughtlessness and unrestrained lust for power? Was he not
trampling all justice and godliness with his great secular foot ? This happened
within six months of the attainment of our independence and Nehru's famous
'Tryst with Destiny'. It was indeed a tryst with tyranny; it was indeed a
tryst with terror; it was indeed a tryst with treachery. Pandit Nehru clearly
showed that he could beat the record of his beloved Stalin in post-independent
India.
On 2 February, 1948, it was officially announced
that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was banned. Sangh workers and Swayamsevaks
were arrested throughout the country. There were more than 40,000 arrests.
The atmosphere of the whole country was poisoned by the effete Congress party
with anti-Sangh rumours, with charges and venomous tirades against the Sangh
and Shri Guruji. On 5 February, 1948, when his lawyer-friend Dattopant Deshpande
went to see Shri Guruji, Shri Guruji handed over to him a written statement
saying that the RSS was disbanded and asked him to get it published. Shri
Guruji said in that statement: 'It has always been the policy of the RSS to
be law- abiding and carry on its activities within the bounds of law. Therefore,
since the Government has declared the RSS an unlawful body it is thought advisable
to disband the RSS till the ban is there, at the same time denying all the
charges levelled against the organisation'.
The tragedy of post-independent India was
that the press was not officially muffled by the Government of India. The
press gagged and strangled itself with its own notions of nationalism and
secularism. The only newspaper which gave a full account of Shri Guruji's
statement on the disbandment of the RSS was Pakistan's 'Dawn' on 6 February.
The Government of India led by the Congress party thought that the life of
RSS had come to an end on 2 February, 1948.
On 7 February, 1948, the Government of India
suddenly withdrew the charge of conspiracy of murder and issued a new ordinance
ordering Shri Guruji's internment under the National Security Act. He was
kept in a solitary prison. Newspapers were denied to him for the first one
month. Shri Guruji displayed unwavering faith and mental fortitude during
his stay in prison.
It is clear that Nehru was no champion of
civil rights or human rights. After our independence, he functioned like any
other petty politician. From his attitude towards the RSS and Shri Guruji
we get the lesson: 'We can vaccinate ourselves against small-pox; there is
no vaccination available against small minds, particularly in high places'.
(To be continued...)
(The writer is a retired IAS officer - vsundaram@newstodaynet.com)
