PENGUIN BOOKS

INDIA DIVIDED Rajendra Prasad (1884–1963) was the first President of the Republic of India. An Independence activist and a prominent Gandhian, Rajendra Prasad was a close associate of Gandhi’s from the time of the Champaran Satyagraha in 1916. Prasad was elected president of the Indian National Congress in 1934, and again in 1939. He served as president of the Constituent Assembly which drafted India’s Constitution over 1948 and 1949. On 26 January 1950, Rajendra Prasad was sworn in as the first President of India. He remained in the post for twelve years, before resigning in 1962. He was also honoured with the Bharat Ratna that year.

BY THE SAME AUTHOR Autobiography

RAJENDRA PRASAD

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First published in 1946 Published by Penguin Books India 2010 Copyright © Rajendra Prasad Granthavali Trust 2010 All rights reserved 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 The views and opinions expressed in this book are the author’s own and the facts are as reported by him which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same. ISBN 9780143414155 Typeset in Sabon by InoSoft Systems, Noida

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contents

vii xi

List of Tables Preface Part I: the two NatIoNs theory 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

two nations—Basis of Pakistan nationality and State muslims—a Separate nation national and multinational the Picture from another angle

3 11 21 34 40

Part II: the CommuNal trIaNgle 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

introductory 105 ‘divide and Rule’ and the east india Company 109 the wahabi movement 113 the earlier days of Sir Syed ahmad Khan 118 the British Principals of the aligarh 124 College and aligarh Politics the Origin of Separate electorates 137 the muslim league founded and the lucknow Pact 144 the Khilafat movement and after 149 the Base of the triangle lengthens 158 the angle of difference widens 176 Summary of Part ii 203 Part III: sChemes

17. 18. 19. 20.

of

PartItIoN

a Scheme for a ‘Confederacy of india’ the aligarh Professors’ Scheme C. Rahmat ali’s Scheme dr S.a. latif’s Scheme

217 224 227 232

vi

contents

21. Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan’s Scheme 22. Sir abdullah Haroon Committee’s Scheme 23. the Birth of the idea of Partition

241 248 254

Part IV: the all-INdIa muslIm league resolutIoN oN PakIstaN 24. 25. 26. 27.

indefiniteness and implications disadvantage of indefiniteness the Resolution analysed the Resolution analysed (contd.)—delimitation of the muslim State 28. Partition of Sikhs and Bengalis Part V: resourCes 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.

of the

35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43.

340

muslIm states

agriculture minerals forests industry Revenue and expenditure the Proposal for Partition examined Part VI: alterNatIVes

261 272 280 290

to

345 365 371 372 383 406

PakIstaN

the Cripps Proposal Professor Copland’s Regional Scheme Sir Sultan ahmad’s Scheme Sir ardeshir dalal’s Scheme dr Radha Kumud mukherji’s new approach to the Communal Problem the Communist Party’s Support to Pakistan Sapru Committee’s Proposals dr ambedkar’s Scheme mr m.n. Roy’s draft Constitution epilogue Addendum Maps and graphs Index

435 439 451 459 465 472 480 489 494 498 502 537 549

list of tables

table i table ii table iii

table iv table v table vi table vii table viii table table table table

iX X Xi Xii

table Xiii

table Xiv

table Xv table Xvi

Percentages of men from different Parts of india in the army Result of General elections, 1937 Percentage of muslim Population in the north-western State or zone (1931 Census) and the north-eastern zone Population of native States adjacent to muslim States: northern muslim zone Population of eastern muslim zone Percentages of minority Communities in the eastern muslim zone Population of muslims and non-muslims in the north-western zone Population by Communities of Provinces of British india Population by Communities of Sind Population by Communities of the nwfP Population by Communities of Baluchistan Population by Communities of the Punjab muslim and non-muslim districts of the Punjab and their Population by Communities Population of muslims in the north-west zone from which districts with nonmuslim majorities are excluded Population by Communities of Bengal muslim and non-muslim districts of Bengal and their Population by Communities

120 178

248 250 251 251 274 292 295 296 297 299

302

309 310

313

viii table Xvii table Xviii

table XiX

table XX

table XXi

table XXii

table XXiii table XXiv table XXv

table XXvi table XXvii table XXviii table XXiX table XXX table XXXi table XXXii

l i s t o f ta b l e s

Population by Communities of assam muslim and non-muslim districts of assam and their Population by Communities distribution of main Communities in assam at the Censuses of 1901, 1911, 1921, 1931 and 1941 number of Persons Born in Bengal in each district of the assam valley in 1911, 1921 and 1931 Population by Communities of the eastern muslim zone including districts with non-muslim majorities Population by Communities in the eastern muslim zone excluding districts with non-muslim majorities Population and land in muslim and non-muslim districts of Bengal area Sown and food Produce in the Punjab, nwfP and Sind in 1939–40 area Per Head and Under different Crops in the Punjab, Sind and nwfP in 1937–38 area Cropped and irrigated in the nw zone food Position in the north-western zone increase in Population in the north-western zone mineral Production in the muslim zones, 1938 mineral Production in British india and muslim and non-muslim zones Resources of muslim States’ industries, 1939 inland trade in Certain Principal articles between the muslim zones and the Rest of india

318

319

320

327

336

336 346 356

357 358 362 362 366 367 373

380

l i s t o f ta b l e s

Subventions and Other Payments made by the Centre to the Provinces under the Government of india (distribution of Revenues) Order as amended table XXXiv Provincial Revenues table XXXv Provincial expenditure table XXXvi Social Services: details of expenditure table XXvii expenditure on Social Services table XXXviii Proportion of the Revenue of the Central Government of india Received from north-western and eastern zones table XXXiX Proportion of expenditure of the Central Government of india allotted to the north-western and eastern muslim federations table Xl india’s Public Revenue, expenditure and debt since 1938 table Xli Revenue and expenditure of muslim zones district-wise, 1939–40 table Xlii deficit on account of defence expenditure in muslim zones table Xliii Contributions of the nw zone and the Provinces of Hindustan to the Central exchequer table Xliv Public debt in 1939–40 table Xlv debt Position of Provinces since 1936–37 table Xlvi Railways table Xlvii explanatory memorandum Budget 1945–46 Government of india: interestbearing Obligations and interest-yielding assets of Government of india table Xlviii muslim Population in non-muslim Provinces (if the whole of the Punjab and Bengal and assam are included in muslim zones)

ix

table XXXiii

385 386 387 388 389

393

394 395 396 398

398 400 401 403

404

416

x table XliX

table l table li table lii table liii table liv

table lv

l i s t o f ta b l e s

muslim Population in non-muslim Provinces (if non-muslim districts of the Punjab, Bengal and assam are excluded from muslim zones) muslim Population in muslim Provinces Changes in the Communal Composition of the indian army Population by Communities in Professor Coupland’s Regions Communal Representation Proposed by dr ambedkar muslim and non-muslim Population in the north-western and eastern zones with four districts of Bihar added analysis of muslim voting for Provincial elections

416 417 425 440 490

506 509

preface to the first edition

The question of partition of India into Muslim and Hindu zones has assumed importance since the All-India Muslim League passed a resolution in its favour at Lahore in March 1940. Much has been written on it and a literature has grown round it. But I believe there is room for another book which tries to discuss the question in all its aspects. In India Divided I have made an attempt to collect in a compact form information and material likely to help the reader in forming an opinion of his own. I have expressed my own opinion on the basis of the material so collected but I believe I have placed the material apart from any conclusions I have drawn therefrom and it is open to the reader to ignore my conclusions and draw his own inferences, if he can. The book is divided into six parts. Part I deals with the theory of Hindus and Muslims of India being two nations. While showing that the theory is as unsupported by history and facts of everyday life, as by the opinion of distinguished and representative Musalmans, it points out that even if it be assumed that the Musalmans are a separate nation, the solution of the Hindu–Muslim problem in India should, on the basis of experience of other countries and on the strength of the latest and most authoritative writers of international repute on the subject, be sought in the formation of a multinational State in which a powerful political union guarantees cultural autonomy to different national groups; and not in the creation of national States which will not only leave the problem of national minorities unsolved but will also create more new problems relating to questions— financial, economic, industrial and political, and military defence and strategy—than it will solve. Part II discusses at length how the Hindu–Muslim problem has arisen and grown to its present proportions and how with the lengthening of the base of the communal triangle, the angle

xii

preface

of difference between the communities has become wider and wider. Part III gives the summary of a number of schemes of partition which have appeared. Part IV points out the vagueness and ambiguity of the Lahore Resolution of the All-India Muslim League and the difficulty which faces anyone trying to consider it on its merits. It analyses the Resolution and, giving their natural meaning to the words used in the Resolution, it fixes the boundaries of Pakistan. Part V deals with the resources of the Muslim States and shows how the scheme of partition is impracticable. Part VI gives various proposals put forward by persons or bodies for solving the Hindu–Muslim problem. Parts I, III, IV, V and VI of the book were written in the Bankipur jail and during intervals of comparatively good health. They, therefore, naturally bear the inevitable marks of work done under some limitations. Since my release I have been able to find time to write Part II—but none to revise the portion written previously. The difficulty of getting books in jail was removed to a considerable extent by the kindness of Dr Sachchidananda Sinha who freely allowed books to be lent out of the Sinha Library and of Sir Rajiva Ranjan Prasad Sinha, President of the Bihar Legislative Council, who lent some books from the Library of the Bihar Legislature. Shri Shanti Kumar Morarji of Bombay supplied me with a number of books and some statistics. My thanks are due to all these gentlemen. I am thankful to Shri K.T. Shah of Bombay and Professor Balkrishna of the Birla College, Pilani, for some valuable suggestions and to the Birla College for a free use of its library. Typed copy of the portion written in jail was prepared there and my thanks are due to Shri M. John, Secretary, Tata Workers’ Union, Jamshedpur, for making the typed copy, and to Shris S.H. Razi, M.D. Madan and M.K. Ghosh for comparing the typed copy. I am grateful to the Government of Bihar for permitting Shri John to prepare the typed copy. Shri M.K. Ghosh of the Tata Research Laboratory, Jamshedpur, kindly checked the figures and prepared the graphs and I owe him a debt of thanks. My thanks are due also to Shri Mathura Prasad and to Shri Chakradhar Sharan for help of various kinds in preparing Part II and for seeing the book through the press.

preface

xiii

I have acknowledged my indebtedness wherever I have taken any statement or quotation from others. Sadaqat Ashram, Dighaghat, Patna, I5 December 1945

Rajendra Prasad

PaRt i tHe twO natiOnS tHeORY

The first Indian President’s opposition to the proposal for Partition India Divided was written mostly in prison and was published in 1946, a year before India was partitioned. In the book, Dr Rajendra Prasad examines and challenges the underlying theory that Hindus and Muslims are essentially two nations. He traces the origins and growth of the Hindu–Muslim conflict, discusses the several debates and schemes for Partition that had been put forth, and exposes the essential ambiguity of the 1940 Lahore Resolution. While reflecting on the issue, he throws light on how different leaders conceived of the nation-state, a question that has remained ever relevant in the subcontinent. Finally, Dr Prasad shows how Partition was impracticable, given the limited resources of the Muslim-majority states. His solution for the conflict was the formation of a unified secular state with cultural autonomy for different communities. Well-researched and powerfully argued, India Divided is a significant historical document in defence of secular ideals.

‘Very important . . . Introduces the reader to all the debates centring on the issue of Partition’ Tribune

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