Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Nehru had called Patel ‘a total communalist’: Advani - The Times of India, Mumbai, INDIA


The narrative as described in quotation by LK Advani, itself clearly establishes that it could be conspiracy against Pandit Nehru's position on Hyderabad as not to use Indian Army and better to approach the UN. The role of Rajaji, VP Menon and Sardar Patel, together with a British Ambassador's letter protesting about an alleged rape of 70 year old nuns in Hyderabad, strategically introduced in the discussion at the Rashtrapati Bhavan meeting to shake Nehru into giving up his resistance to Patel's proposal to send Army to invade Nizam's Hyderabad State. Nehru was rightly agitated at the international repercussion of an army invasion by the new independent India, so early in its inception period. It is mystery how the massacre of that scale by Army and by common people against Muslims in the so-called 'Police Action' so completely covered up from the world media and world opinion, nay even world history. Granted that the Nehru route would have entailed the same miasma that was faced in Kashmir. However, sooner or later, a nation that was supposedly liberated by Gandhian non-violent means, as per world perception, and later to become known as leader of non-enlightenment movement for peace around the world, will have to answer to History for the bloodshed of hundreds of thousands of civilians, without any sense of remorse, accountability, much less even any public discussion of the blood shed in that supposedly 'Police' Action in erstwhile Hyderabad State.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
<ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com>
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nehru-had-called-Patel-a-total-communalist-Advani/articleshow/25287513.cms

The Times of India


Nehru had called Patel ‘a total communalist’: Advani

TNN | Nov 6, 2013, 05.42 AM IST

NEW DELHI: BJP on Tuesday raked up another controversy over Sardar Patel with senior party leader LK Advani quoting from a book to allege that then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru called his home minister a "total communalist" when the latter suggested that the Army be sent in to take over a defiant Hyderabad after independence.

In his latest blog posting, Advani referred to extracts from a book, 'The Story of an Era Told Without Ill Will' by MKK Nair, an IAS officer of 1947 batch who was believed to be close to Sardar Patel.

The book refers to "sharp exchanges" between Nehru and Patel in a Cabinet meeting before "police action" against Hyderabad. Written in Malayalam, the book is being translated into English.

"At a Cabinet meeting, Patel had described these things and demanded that the Army be sent to end the terror regime in Hyderabad. Nehru, who usually spoke calmly, peacefully and with international etiquette, spoke losing his composure, 'You are a total communalist. I will never accept your recommendation ..." Patel remained unperturbed but left the room with his papers," Advani quoted from Nair's book.

BJP has been trying to appropriate Sardar Patel as a leader close to the Hindutva ideology. On Patel's 138th anniversary on October 31, Advani had heaped praise on India's first home minister at the inauguration of a project to build a 182-metre tall statue — the tallest in the world — of the leader.

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who is behind this endeavour, said India needs Patel's secularism which united people and not the "vote bank secularism being practiced today".

Both Advani and Modi have sought to fashion themselves as inheritors of Patel's legacy. BJP has also alleged that Patel's contribution was never acknowledged by the Congress and that it only eulogized the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Advani, in his blog, said then governor general C Rajagopalachari prevailed over Nehru to send the Army to Hyderabad. As the situation continued to worsen, Rajaji called Nehru and Patel to Rashtrapati Bhavan to discuss the issue. Meanwhile, the Army was kept battle-ready.

During his meeting with Nehru and Patel, Rajaji used a letter from the British high commissioner protesting against the rape of 70-year-old nuns of a convent two days earlier by Razakars of Hyderabad. V P Menon, a bureaucrat and close aide of Patel, had given this letter to Rajaji before the meeting.

"Rajaji in his typical style described the situation in Hyderabad. He felt that, to safeguard India's reputation, a decision should not be delayed any longer. Nehru was concerned about international repercussions. Rajaji then played his trump card -- the letter from the British high commissioner.

"Nehru read it. His face turned red ... Anger choked his words. He shot out of his chair, slammed his fist on the table and cried out, 'Let's not waste a moment. We'll teach them a lesson.' Rajaji immediately told Menon to inform the commander in chief to proceed according to the plan," Advani said, quoting from the book