The RSS: Icons of the Indian Right

by Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay

After Gandhi’s Quit India movement call in 1942 when the Congress had asked its ministers to resign from the provincial government, Mohammed Ali Jinnah saw this as an opportunity to form coalition governments in the Muslim-majority provinces. Meanwhile, Savarkar had already instructed his ministers in the provincial government to remain in office, claiming that if they quit, then Muslim ministers and the British bureaucracy would ride roughshod over them. In the summer of 1943, Jinnah invited Savarkar to explore the possibility of forming a government in Muslim-majority provinces, obviously with assistance from the Hindu Mahasabha. Savarkar responded that he was willing to discuss any plan, provided it had nothing to do with the idea of Pakistan. He also declined to visit Jinnah’s residence for the meeting, stating that any interaction on the matter should only happen at a venue of his choice. This was unacceptable to Jinnah, and after several deliberations, the two decided to break the stalemate and met at a neutral venue. Unfortunately, even that plan had fizzled out because Savarkar had initially dilly-dallied, and subsequently, as the news of the proposed meeting made it to the press, Savarkar ‘outdid Jinnah in resorting to delaying tactics and egoistic gestures.’