International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanities
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International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanities ISSN 2277 – 9809 (online) ISSN 2348 - 9359 (Print) An Internationally Indexed Peer Reviewed & Refereed Journal Shri Param Hans Education & Research Foundation Trust www.IRJMSH.com www.SPHERT.org Published by iSaRa Solutions IRJMSH Vol 7 Issue 11 [Year 2016] ISSN 2277 – 9809 (0nline) 2348–9359 (Print) Sardar Patel: The Foresighted Visionary on Minorities Dr. Vikram Singh Associate Professor, Vaish College, Bhiwani (Haryana) E-mail: [email protected] The present article, “Sardar Patel: The Foresighted Visionary on Minorities”relates toSardar Patel, who played a significant role in the Indian political scenario from 1917 to 1950 and dedicated himself to Indian freedom struggle. He was the follower and closest companion of Mahatma Gandhi as well as an ideal Congress leader. He led several satyagrahas during India’s struggle for freedom from British rule. After Independence, he was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, he looks after the departments of Home, States, Information and Broadcasting. He played an important role as the Chairman of the Committees for Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Provincial Constitution and provisions like the Right to Private Property, Privy purses for Princes and Constitutional guarantees for the Civil Services were incorporated. He emerged an astute leader and a sagacious statesman known as the ‘Iron Man’ of Modern India. The problems of minorities at the time of independence seemed of a minor nature but these were found to be crucial. The minority groups like Anglo-Indians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and others which might be endangered to our nation and would check its development, if careful attention had not been taken at the right time. In a democratic country, the welfare of the minority communities cannot be ignored. The position of the minorities was sad at the time of independence and it was most difficult task to solve their problems without any guidance of an able leader who could possess a more understanding of such critical situation. The confidence of minority communities must be generated in their minds and social harmony in the country was impossible which would have adversely affected the development of the nation. Therefore, all the best efforts for nation building would be futile and the problems of minority people had not been solved at the right time. Sardar Patel succeeded in maintaining confidence in them, which led them towards the main objective of national solidarity as he had an extraordinary caliber wisdom and capacity. International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanity ( IRJMSH ) Page 35 www.irjmsh.com IRJMSH Vol 7 Issue 11 [Year 2016] ISSN 2277 – 9809 (0nline) 2348–9359 (Print) The minority communities were not confident about their rights and privileges as it was obligatory to conserve their interests which would ultimately bring communal harmony in the nation. Sardar Patel became the chairman of the subcommittee of the Constituent Assembly at this crucial time who solved the problems of the minority people. He observed that country’s security and stability would be maintained by guarding as well as guaranteeing to their welfare. He opined that the citizens of India, irrespective of their religion, the Government should provide equal opportunity for them without any discrimination. He also observed that some safeguards were required to provide them equality with the majority community as they were weak. He considered that minority people had lots of potential so certain time bound constitutional safeguards were necessarily guaranteed to them because minorities were as part and parcel of the Indian nation as well as he worked for their security and contentment for development of India. “It is our duty to pledge ourselves to live with all Indians as brothers and cease to bear any one a grudge. Whatever our community, all of us - Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians - should remember we belong to one country, Let us pledge to get together and create in India an atmosphere of amity. Let us all recognize like Gandhiji that we are creatures of one God among us there should be no touchable and untouchables.”1 Sardar Patel assured the Muslims for their safeguard, privileges and equal rights to the Hindus without any discrimination after independence. He assured them in Hyderabad in August, 1949 when he was delivering a lecture, they would not be treated as second citizen in India and the government would guard to the Muslims to enjoy the real liberty.2 Therefore, his philosophy was aimed at providing harmony between the Hindus and Muslims in the society as well as national integration. He believed in pragmatism, nothypocrisy or false promises not empty promises and always endeavored to transform his promises into reality. He endeavoured to provide safeguard protection to the Muslims from the hurdles and problems due to misguided Hindus during the communal riots in 1947. He allowed Muslims who were loyal to Pakistan were to migrate safely under the special care and provided the safe passage to Muslims to Pakistan, although Pakistan did not reciprocate the same. He urged the people in Amritsar when 1Murthi, R.K. Sardar Patel:The Man and His Contemporaries,' Sterling Publishers Pvt.td., New Delhi, 1976,p.- 50 2Murthi, R.K, Ibid.p.- 51 International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanity ( IRJMSH ) Page 36 www.irjmsh.com IRJMSH Vol 7 Issue 11 [Year 2016] ISSN 2277 – 9809 (0nline) 2348–9359 (Print) he was delivering a lecture on 30th September, 1947: “I have come to you with a specific appeal and that is to pledge the safety of Muslim refugees crossing the city. It is hardly creditable to us that we do not realize in what our good lies. It does not become a brave person to perpetrate deeds of the brutality ofdefenseless men, women and children... I appeal to you to act with prudence, and foresight. You should allow free and unmolested passage to the Muslim refugees.”3 Moreover, on 12th November, 1949 at Rajghat he advocated that he did not want the Muslims to live in India with their loyalty to Pakistan, he appealed to the Muslims who wanted to reside in India that they should forget their love for Pakistan and follow the Indian constitution from the core of heart. He was sternly against dual loyalty therefore, he stated about the Muslims of Kathiawad who pursued the Muslim League propaganda of “Two nation theory”. He warned them not to pursue the same even after the partition of the country as they would get no place in India as well as they were advised to seek other suitable place outside India where they could follow their dual loyalty.4 He knew that he had been blamed as Anti-Muslims. In Lucknow on 6th January, 1948, he pointed out that politicians call him an foe of Muslims, but he edeavoured to redress their grievances as far as possible. He did not like the Muslims ride on two horses and urged them to choose only one horse as well as they must prefer whether they were loyal to Pakistan or India.5 He stressed again and again that Muslims in India must live like Indians, both physically as well as mentally. Such a warning was necessary to realize that the Muslims must consider themselves as an integral part of the India; otherwise nation’s integrity would be threatened. Sardar Patel warned sternly and endeavoured to set up harmony between Hindus and Muslims to make them feel as an integral part and parcel of the nation which was a difficult and complex work. Sardar Patel convinced the Anglo-Indians and Christians like the Muslims that they were also constituted a small unit of minority in the nation. Arnold. J. Toynbee opined that the survival of the Anglo Indians in India was a challenge. They faced external as well as internal 3The Statesman/dated October 1, 1947 (Press report) 4The Amrita Bazar Patrika/dt. 13-11 1947 - (press report) 5The Hindu, dated January 7/ 1948 (press report), (Sardar’s public speech in Lucknow on January 6, 1948 International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanity ( IRJMSH ) Page 37 www.irjmsh.com IRJMSH Vol 7 Issue 11 [Year 2016] ISSN 2277 – 9809 (0nline) 2348–9359 (Print) challenges from their early masters6 and their Indian counterparts respectively.7 The Anglo Indians felt insecure and unprotected in the absence of their English masters as well as they felt the imaginary fear that led to their large scale migration to England, Australia, and Canada after independence.8 They demanded special safeguards for protection of their interests when the constitution was drafted by the committee. Frank Anthony the met Sardar Patel, who was the leader of the Anglo-Indians and demanded for reservation of seats in the Assembly. Sardar Patel considered sympathetically and put the issue before the Advisory Committee. Govind Vallabh Pant was against the proposal and opposed sternly for reservation of seats for Anglo-Indians. However, Sardar Patel stood in favour of the Anglo-Indians and suggested that they deserved to be given special representation by nomination which was finally accepted by the Advisory Committee. Frank Anthony stated: “While I was battering for special representation for the Anglo-Indian community, especially because of the microscopic size of the community... ultimately Sardar intervened. He suggested that only the Anglo-Indians should be given representation by nomination. That was accepted by the Advisory Committee.”9 There was a lot of opposition for the demand of service quota for the Anglo-Indians and educational safeguards but Sardar Patel favoured them and referred the matter to a special sub-committee that agreed on special quotas in the services in some departments like the Railways, Post and Telegraph and Customs Department, he considered that the Anglo-Indians represented a microscopic group of people who were very intelligent and their ability as well as skill must be utilized for the nation development as he believed that they would work enthusiastically for the nation building without any discrimination.