Farooq Abdullah Kashmir’s former chief minister sparked much controversy when he said, that Jinnah never really wanted a separate country for Muslims. He went on to say that Pakistan was the result of the Indian leaders’ refusal to accept the minority status of Muslims and Sikhs in the country.
His exact words were, “Jinnah was not going to divide the country. The commission was delivered and the decision was taken that India would be divided. It said we will keep a special representation for Muslims.” He didn’t stop there, he said that Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad and Sardar Patel refused the commission’s decision and Jinnah was compelled to demand the creation of Pakistan. He said if it weren’t for their refusal there would have been only one India.
When he spoke about the elections in 2019, he spoke about his concern about the communalisation of politics. He said that BJP shouldn’t divide the country along religious lines and that it would be crucial that they don’t for the sake of India’s growth and progress. He added that Rahul Gandhi needs time to deliver results. He said there was a chance for revival if they worked for the people.
His statements definitely didn’t go unnoticed. Union Minister Jitendra Singh insisted that Abdullah reread history. Singh said that Jinnah wasn’t pleased with Mahatma Gandhi’s offer of becoming the Prime Minister of the country if he gave up the demand for the creation of a separate country. Both accounts are partially correct. it is impossible to retrace history word for word and ask the leaders what their intentions were now. The partition is that part of India’s history which is perhaps darker than the colonial rule itself. If politicians are to debate it, it’s better they watch their words and read some history because tall claims don’t help anyone.