06-09-2005, 12:47 AM
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<b>Jinnahâs estrangement</b>
Mr LK Advaniâs recent statements in Pakistan about Mohammad Ali Jinnah have stirred a hornetâs nest in the country. Much is being talked about the course of events that turned a âsecularâ Jinnah into the eventual creator of Pakistan, foremost among them being his relationship with Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. In this connection, their three encounters between 1915 and 1920 assume great significance. Jinnah was in the forefront as the chairman of the Gujarat Society, welcoming Gandhi when he came back from South Africa in 1915. The first meeting itself destroyed Jinnahâs ambition of becoming the leader of India and not of Muslims alone. He did not relish Gandhiâs remark, who was glad to find âa Mohammedan not only belonging to his regionâs sabha, but (also) chairing itâ. To borrow a sentence from Stanley Wolpertâs Jinnah of Pakistan, âThat first statement set the tone of their relationship, always at odds with deep tensions and mistrust.â The second major encounter took place at the War Conference in Delhi in 1918 where Gandhi supported the resolution that endorsed recruitment of Indians for the British war efforts. Jinnah opposed the move. In a telegram sent to the Viceroy, he observed, âWe cannot ask our young men to fight for principles, the application of which is denied to their own country... India... must be a partner in the Empire... not as a dependency.â During the meeting, Jinnah was ruled out of participation in the debate. This might have hurt the sentiments of a person for whom the very idea of being anything less than number one was repugnant. The 1920 Congress session attended by 14,582 delegates further pulled the two leaders apart. It was a turning point in the history of the Congress when Gandhiâs resolution on the non-cooperation and civil disobedience was carried by 1886 to 884 votes. Jinnah vehemently opposed the resolution and wanted the continuation of moderate constitutional means to achieve the goal of self-governance. Such was the heat generated during the debate that Jinnah was hooted down, sealing the chances of cooperation between the two leaders in building the future of India.
BP SrivastavaÂ
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<b>Jinnahâs estrangement</b>
Mr LK Advaniâs recent statements in Pakistan about Mohammad Ali Jinnah have stirred a hornetâs nest in the country. Much is being talked about the course of events that turned a âsecularâ Jinnah into the eventual creator of Pakistan, foremost among them being his relationship with Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. In this connection, their three encounters between 1915 and 1920 assume great significance. Jinnah was in the forefront as the chairman of the Gujarat Society, welcoming Gandhi when he came back from South Africa in 1915. The first meeting itself destroyed Jinnahâs ambition of becoming the leader of India and not of Muslims alone. He did not relish Gandhiâs remark, who was glad to find âa Mohammedan not only belonging to his regionâs sabha, but (also) chairing itâ. To borrow a sentence from Stanley Wolpertâs Jinnah of Pakistan, âThat first statement set the tone of their relationship, always at odds with deep tensions and mistrust.â The second major encounter took place at the War Conference in Delhi in 1918 where Gandhi supported the resolution that endorsed recruitment of Indians for the British war efforts. Jinnah opposed the move. In a telegram sent to the Viceroy, he observed, âWe cannot ask our young men to fight for principles, the application of which is denied to their own country... India... must be a partner in the Empire... not as a dependency.â During the meeting, Jinnah was ruled out of participation in the debate. This might have hurt the sentiments of a person for whom the very idea of being anything less than number one was repugnant. The 1920 Congress session attended by 14,582 delegates further pulled the two leaders apart. It was a turning point in the history of the Congress when Gandhiâs resolution on the non-cooperation and civil disobedience was carried by 1886 to 884 votes. Jinnah vehemently opposed the resolution and wanted the continuation of moderate constitutional means to achieve the goal of self-governance. Such was the heat generated during the debate that Jinnah was hooted down, sealing the chances of cooperation between the two leaders in building the future of India.
BP SrivastavaÂ
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