Chapter 5H: Nehru went about destroying his competitors. BN ducked out of view. His business empire was taken over by the Pakistan government. Ramkrishna Dalmia was jailed. Times of India was taken over by the govt. Banks and insurance companies were nationalised.
Some decided to align with the government. But the RSS refused to be bullied. Gandhi refused to intervene.
Gandhi was murdered.
Godse was from Sangli. He worked as a tailor and a carpenter. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Sangli around 1932, serving as a boudhik karyawah (intellectual/ground worker or “intellectual worker”). He remained associated with the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha for years. He then worked as a journalist and editor. He founded and edited a Marathi newspaper called Agrani (later renamed Hindu Rashtra or Hindurashtra), which served as a mouthpiece for the Hindu Mahasabha. He ran this with collaborator Narayan Apte from a modest office/press setup in Pune.
They held Gandhi responsible and accountable for the deaths during partition and for dividing the country. Godse shot Gamdhi at point blank range. He was not the first or last leader to be murdered. Indira gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi too met with the same fate.
The one question however that continued to haunt Indians is why so many more Hindus lost their lives than Muslims did. The answer to this is in the Partition museum. To quote:
“The Maharajas also made attempts to help in the relief and rehabilitation of the incoming refugees, and ensured the safe journey for the refugees going to Pakistan.
In the period leading up to Partition, Maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur-Marwar was determined to protect the long-standing communal harmony of his State, and continually stressed a strong policy of tolerance and inclusiveness. Few Muslim families from the state abandoned their ancestral homes, and the Maharaja promised safe passage to Indian Muslims from elsewhere who were migrating to Pakistan. More than seven lakh transited safely through Jodhpur.
Meanwhile in Patiala, the state saw an increasing number of refugees. The Maharaja personally worked to ensure their safety. The state also made arrangements for the Muslims of the state to be safe during the violence.”
The partition did not create a Muslim country and a Hindu country. It split India into a winner and a loser. Every Indian who got left behind in Pakistan or had to move to Pakistan lost.
It behooves the leaders of India to bring those Indians back into the fold. The people of Pakistan are the real victims of the Partition. They are not terrorists. Or part of the deep state.
The worst is yet to be told.
What happened to the princely states on the Pakistan side ? How did the army get control ? Why did democracy fail.
These are part of another series called the Pakistan Files. The issue is the life threat in exposing these. And are best made part of the movie – the Partition Saga
In Cinemas – 2029
