The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Advani's Jinnah remark

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Friday, Jun 24, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Advani's Jinnah remark

L.K. Advani's public persona was never that of a political gambler. But his Jinnah-was-secular speech was an exception. Suddenly it became the endgame and checkmate for him. But will not his exit cost the BJP dear? Instead of using the opportunity to stop quibbling over Hindutva, secularism and cultural nationalism, the party seems to be preparing for another round of propitiating the RSS.

P.P. Sudhakaran,
Bangalore

* * *

If one goes through Stanley Wolpert's book on Jinnah, one will find that he was a staunch nationalist in the early 1920s, that he attended Congress sessions and shared his ideas with people such as Annie Besant. But by mid-1920s, he was vexed with his failure to assert himself over Gandhi.

One wonders what happened to his nationalist temperament later, why he deserted it to demand a separate state for Muslims and why he revived it once again after Partition to call for the establishment of a secular state.

Ch. Mutyalayya Naidu,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.

* * *

Jinnah was no doubt a true secularist who opposed the formation of the Moslem League in 1905. Until 1947, he never thought Pakistan would be a reality. But he got more than what he bargained for and that too with the help of a secretary and a typewriter!

The Partition, communal carnage and the mass migration of people could have all been avoided if our political leaders had shown sagacity and a sense of accommodation.

K.N. Subramanian,
Chennai

* * *

It was only because of our weakness that we became a slave of the British. Again it was because of the short sighted and narrow-minded behaviour of our leaders that our country was divided. Let Jinnah and Gandhi be revered in their respective nations. We should move on.

Abdul Hameed,
Chennai

* * *

The divide-and-rule policy of the British helped by the League under Jinnah was instrumental in creating Pakistan. Let us leave it at that. As for the RSS' latest move of dragging leaders of the past into the controversy to score a point over the BJP, it obviously has no concrete issues at hand.

C. Satheesh,
Ahmedabad

* * *

Jinnah's demand for Pakistan was based on the two-nation theory and it cannot be overlooked merely on the ground that he propounded secularism for broadly defining the character of the state. The foundation on which Pakistan came into existence cannot be wiped out and the history that preceded Partition cannot be changed.

V. Venkataramaniah,
Hyderabad

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