Did Veer Savarkar ‘propose’ two-nation theory? How Islamists and Congress have lied about the idea that is inherent in Islamic theology

Did Veer Savarkar ‘propose’ two-nation theory? How Islamists and Congress have lied about the idea that is inherent in Islamic theology

Subject : History

Section: Modern History 

• The two-nation theory was first promulgated way back in 1876 by Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of the Aligarh Muslim University, and not by Savarkar in 1937
• Syed Ahmad Khan said in 1876, “I am convinced now that Hindus and Muslims could never become one nation as their religion and way of life was quite distinct from each other.”
• 14^th August,2020, the second Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, which was announced by prime minister Narendra Modi last year to commemorate the victims and sufferings of people during the Partition of India. During the partition of India which had spilt British India into three parts into two countries of India and Pakistan, millions of people were displaced and suffered, while the estimates of deaths due to partition-related death range from 2,00,000 to 20,00,000.
• Annie Besant spoke of the massacre in her book ‘The Future of Indian Politics’.

Timeline of Partition of India

• The partition of Bengal served as the first act of the British towards breaking Hindu Muslim unity. The introduction of the Morley Minto reforms in 1909 proved to be a critical juncture in struggle against colonial domination in India.
• The reforms introduced a system under which separate electorates were formed wherein only Muslims could vote for Muslim candidates in constituencies reserved for them
• The Montagu Chelmsford reforms or the Government of India Act 1919 in addition to the reservation of seats for Muslims, included provisions for the reservation of seats in provincial and Imperial legislatures for Sikhs, Anglo-Indians, Indian Christians and domicile Europeans.
• After World War 1, the Muslims in India were dismayed by the fact that the Caliph of Turkey would no longer retain his powers over the Muslim holy places. The Caliph was viewed by the Muslims as their spiritual head and it was his duty to look after the holy places. When Gandhi ji and other Congress leaders were planning the Non-Cooperation movement in 1920, the Muslims agreed to join them to express their discontent about the above mentioned issue. The period for which the movement persisted, there was remarkable Hindu Muslim unity in terms of their participation in it.
• Following the Chauri Chaura incident where some British policemen were killed due to some action initiated by the participants of the Non-Cooperation movement, the movement itself was called off by Gandhi j The Muslim leaders felt betrayed since their cause of revolting against the removal of the Caliphate was left unfinished due to the calling off of the movement
• After 1930 the demand for a separate Muslim Nation after independence began to be articulated. Sir Muhammad Iqbal became the leader of the Muslim League in 1930 and for the first time articulated a demand for a separate Muslim state
• The policy of the British to divide and rule got exemplified in the Communal Award of 1932. This policy further strengthened the provisions for separate electorates.
• In 1940 Jinnah declared at the Muslim League conference held at Lahore, “Hindus and the Muslims belong to two different religions, philosophies, social customs and literature.
• The Cripps Mission in 1942 suggested that India be granted a Dominion status under the British empire. The Mission did not accept the demand for Pakistan but allowed for a provision whereby provinces could secede from the Indian Union.
• The Cabinet Mission plan of 1946 began by arguing for transfer of power to a united India with provisional autonomy to Muslims dominated areas. An interim government was formed in September 1946 but it only had representatives from the Congress as the Muslim League was not willing to settle for anything less than an independent Pakistan
• On the 16th August 1946 Jinnah declared Direct Action Day and the Muslim League raised the demand for an independent Pakistan.
• The plan to partition British India into two states was announced on 3rd June 1947.