Being the Other: The Muslim in India

by Saeed Naqvi

The Maulana writes about the time after Patel and Nehru had become supporters of partition and Gandhiji remained his only hope. When the Maulana met Gandhiji on 31 March 1947, he told him categorically, ‘My only hope now is in you. If you stand against Partition, we may yet save the situation. If you however acquiesce, I am afraid India is lost.’ Gandhiji replied passionately that if the Congress wished to accept Partition ‘it will be over my dead body’. He added that as long as he was alive he would never agree to the partition of India nor allow the Congress to accept it. But soon after, events took an astonishing turn. Later that same day Gandhiji met Lord Mountbatten. He saw him the next day as well and again on 2 April. Sardar Patel came to Gandhiji after his first meeting with Lord Mountbatten and was closeted with him for over two hours. When the Maulana met Gandhiji again, he got ‘the greatest shock of my life’. Gandhiji had changed: while he was not openly in favour of partition, ‘he no longer spoke so vehemently against it’. What further surprised and shocked the Maulana was that Gandhiji had begun to repeat Sardar Patel’s arguments. The Maulana proceeded to plead with Gandhiji for over two hours but failed to make an impression on him. ‘In despondency I at last said, “If even you have now adopted these views, I see no hope of saving India from catastrophe.”’ Gandhiji replied saying that he had already made the suggestion that they should ask Jinnah to form the g...