Last Updated on 14/08/2024 by Arun jain
The spark to free the united India started with the revolt of 1857. The spark was fanned by the brave warriors of India who dreamt of a free India with open eyes. Battles were fought, sacrifices were made, countless sacrifices were made to free the united India from the atrocities of the British. When the time came for the freedom of that united India, Mohammad Ali Jinnah made such a demand that shook the foundation of the united India.
Jinnah had initiated the partition of the country by demanding a separate country for the Muslims of united India. Demanding a separate country clearly meant the partition of the country and giving birth to a bloody conflict. Before Jinnah’s demand, no one would have thought that India would get independence but the country would have to pay a heavy price for it.
How did the partition initiative start?
The idea of partition of the country was the idea of the British government. The Hindu-Muslim unity in the revolt of 1857 forced the British government to think that if the people of united India continued to revolt against them in this way, then their rule over India would weaken. This is where the British government’s divide and rule policy started. After the revolt of 1857, the Indian National Congress (INC) was established.
Later, the Indian National Congress (INC) demanded that all educated Indians in the country should be given maximum participation in the government. Soon Dufferin realized that the activities of INC were a threat to the British government. Dufferin stopped INC from such activities, but when the activities of INC did not stop, Dufferin adopted many tactics to stop them. The most effective effect of which was when Dufferin took the help of some of his special loyal people. One of them was Syed Ahmed Khan, who gave birth to the Two-Nation Theory.
What is Two-Nation Theory?
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan started giving speeches to turn people against the Indian National Congress. In his speeches, Khan said that if the British left the country, the Muslims of the country would be in danger. Hindus would oppress Muslims. Syed Ahmed Khan’s words started having an impact and in 1906 the All India Muslim League was established. The British government also supported this league. Under this league, many demands were made in favor of Muslims.
The British government supported all the demands made by the League. To give impetus to this divide and rule policy, the Indian Council Act was introduced in 1919, under which Sikhs, Europeans and Anglo-Indians living in the country were also given rights like Muslims. After this Act, the Hindus of the country started feeling that the Hindus of the country were in danger. Now both Hindus and Muslims in the country were afraid that their religion would be in danger. The result of this was that communal riots started taking place in the country. The Hindus and Muslims who had fought together to liberate the country had now become enemies of each other.
Jinnah’s role in the partition
Jinnah played an important role in the partition of the country. It was Jinnah who demanded a separate country for the Muslims of United India. But Jinnah was not involved in the partition fight from the beginning. Jinnah joined the All India Muslim League after 1930 and he also believed that a country is identified by its religion. In 1933, Muslim League leader Chaudhary Rahmat Ali demanded a separate country named “Pakistan”. On 23 March 1940, the British government also approved the resolution to form a separate country in the Lahore session of the Muslim League. In this way, the initiative to form a separate country, Pakistan, by separating from India began.
Was no attempt made to prevent the partition?
When Mohammad Ali Jinnah demanded a separate country for Muslims, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan of the Indian National Congress and Mahatma Gandhi were the only two leaders who were strongly against this partition. Jinnah wanted a separate country for Muslims at any cost. Many communal riots took place in this battle of partition. Jinnah’s demand provoked such violence in Bengal that Gandhiji himself had to go to save the Hindus there without caring for his own life. Who knows how many innocent people lost their lives in this fire of partition. People had become thirsty for each other’s blood on religious grounds.
lord mountbatten plan
On 3 June 1947, there was a buzz in the All India Radio in Delhi because the then Viceroy Lord Louis Mountbatten was to arrive there and along with him were Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Baldev Singh, the leader of the Sikhs and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who demanded a separate country for Muslims. On 3 June, Mountbatten announced on All India Radio – ‘It had become impossible to reach any agreement to preserve the unity of India. There is no question of leaving the majority population of an area at the mercy of a government in which they have no say.
The only way to escape this situation is partition. Mountbatten’s announcement was called the Lord Mountbatten Plan. Nehru also told the people through All India Radio that Congress supports Mountbatten’s decision. Although Nehru was not happy with this decision, but due to time and circumstances, Nehru accepted this decision. In this way, the United States of India was divided into two nations, Hindustan and Pakistan.
Input: Anamika Asthana
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)