That Jaswant Singh’s views on Mohmmed Ali Jinnah would make his position in the BJP tenuous was well-known. But few expected him to be axed the way he was that too on the first day of the party’s brainstorming session in Shimla today. He was summarily expelled from the party, without even being shown the normal courtesies due to a senior leader who has served as the nation’s foreign minister and finance minister.
This was like using a hammer to swat a fly. The end might have been achieved, of seeing Jaswant out of the BJP or even from the larger Sangh Parivar fold. But the collateral effects might turn out to be more damaging and long-lasting. Not that Singh is a huge crowd-puller, but BJP’s image has taken a beating.
Who divided India?
Jinnah and Nehru, no doubt, are revered figures. They made their own contributions to shaping the events of 1947. But it is puerile to believe that one single person caused the partition of India.
Religion played a huge defining role in every part of the world. Indian subcontinent was no exception. Religion was an essential ingredient of the politics that was played out to get the British out. It was increasingly used by politicians to connect to the people. It was a convenient and potent tool to rally people.
To me, it was no surprise that India was partitioned on the lines of religion. So much was built up towards that end. It was sort of a fait accompli.
It was unfortunate that religion divided India. A discussion on whether that was avoidable or not is inconsequential. Jaswant Singh wrote the book as an individual not as a BJP leader. What he has said about Jinnah is also nothing new. Advani himself after his visit to Pakistan stunned everyone by calling Jinnah secular. At the same time, there are many others who feel just the opposite as well.
BJP should have just ignored the book
Yesterday, with BJP president Rajnath Singh’s statement that the party dissociates itself from what is said in the book, the matter should have been closed.
No one, least of all the BJP, would gain anything from harping on the topic. Jinnah is dead. Nehru is dead. So too Gandhi. The issue is also dead.
The only gainer from what the BJP has precipitated is the publisher of the book and Jaswant himself.
The reaction of the BJP to the issue is also symptomatic of our polity’s reluctance to let go of religion. Now that not just India, the whole world has seen the havoc religion can cause, it’s high time we restricted the use of religion in the public domain. If it serves some purpose it’s only in the personal, private domain.
When India is in close competition with China to take the place of the First World, the mainstream political parties can’t be feuding and wasting time on irrelevant bygones. Parties can’t be judging their leaders on the basis of their views of historical leaders. Instead of Jinnah and Jaswant, BJP at its brain storming session should have focussed on how best it can make the lives of Indians better.
Tailpiece
A tweet by my friend Kishor: “A few more books on Jinnah and BJP would be completely wiped out!”
