Author: K. R, Phanda
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: April 4, 2007
This is with reference to the article, "Uniformity
is right" (March 27), by Prafull Goradia. The writer has aptly observed
that the supreme priority of a nationalist party should be to ensure the unity
and integrity of the country. In this context, Mr Goradia has pointed to the
absence of a Uniform Civil Code, on the one hand, and the existence of wakfs,
which have stalled the process of unity and integrity, on the other.
It is the misfortune of this country that
the Congress, which was in the forefront of the freedom struggle, has acted
against the nation's interest and continues to do so even today. Mahatma Gandhi
launched his political career in 1920 by spearheading the Khilafat movement.
The movement had clear communal overtones. Its aim was to restore the Caliph
onto the throne of Turkey. During Khilafat, Gandhi also characterised Maharana
Pratap, Shivaji and Guru Gobind Singh - as he criticised Bhagat Singh later
- as 'misguided patriots'.
In 1931, at the second Round Table Conference
in London, Gandhi was asked for a solution to the Hindu-Muslim conflict. His
reply was that those were coeval with the British rule in India and that they
would disappear once the British left the country.
However, in 1946, in his comments on Sir Stafford
Cripps' proposals, as mentioned in VP Menon's book, Transfer of Power, Gandhi
did a complete about-turn. He wrote, "Attainment of independence is an
impossibility till we have solved the communal tangle. We may not blind ourselves
to the naked fact."
The communal problem still remains with us.
The British had agreed to the division of India for two reasons: One, Indian
Muslims had overwhelmingly voted for the creation of Pakistan in the elections
held in 1945-46. Two, leaving India united could be an invitation for a civil
war. Jinnah went a step-further by demanding an exchange of population.
What is happening today is a replay of the
Muslim League's politics between 1920 and 1946 with the active connivance
of the Congress leadership. One is also reminded of how World War II started.
European scholars have commented that World War II was in many respects a
continuation of the disputes left unsettled by the Treaty of Versailles imposed
on Germany after World War I. In the case of India as well, the causes of
many problems lie in the non-implementation of the logical corollaries of
partition.
