Neither the Congress leadership nor the British can escape responsibility for failing to prevent Partition, but that does not mean Mohammad Ali Jinnah was not its architect. It was his call for Direct Action Day in 1946 that led to the Great Calcutta Killings in which thousands of people were killed. On achieving his goal, Jinnah acted pious by declaring that all Pakistanis, irrespective of their religious affiliation, were equals. But such rhetoric does not absolve Jinnah of his role in Partition. Jaswant Singh, as a citizen of a democracy, has every right to express his opinion. By expelling him from the party and attempting to ban his book, the BJP and Narendra Modi violated the right to freedom of expression.
Kajal Chatterjee,
Kolkata
Jinnah was clearly the most secular leader of his times. On seeing the support he got on playing upon the communal feelings of Muslims, he changed. The Muslim League which barely mustered a few seats initially became the second largest party in the 1946 Constituent Assembly elections. It is well known that Jinnah rejected the idea of Pakistan when he first came across it. He was secular as mentioned in Jaswant Singh’s book and by L.K. Advani during his Pakistan visit. But he was carried away by the instant fame and success he garnered using the communal card.
Ahmed Muyeen Farooqi,
Hyderabad
I refer to two letters by D.V. Raghvan and R. Narasimhan (Sept. 15), presenting diametrically opposite views with emphasis on the inevitability of Partition. While Mr. Raghavan’s view represents the hard reality of political class, Mr. Narasimhan’s letter expresses the common people’s concerns. That the political class was and is bothered only about power, not people’s concerns, has been aptly expressed by Mr. Narasimhan. I think this small letter is as significant as any major article.
Chaman Lal,
New Delhi
