JAMMU*: *Kicking off a fresh controversy, National Conference presidentFarooq Abdullah on Sunday blamed the country’s first prime minister JawaharLal Nehru for “division” of united India.
Speaking at an event in Jammu, the former chief minister of Jammu andKashmir absolved Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah of partition.
We still have the record of a commission that came in. In the commission,it was decided that we will not divide India, and that we will have aspecial representation for Muslims and other minorities like Sikhs, but thenation would not be divided,” he said.
“Jinnah agreed to this, but Nehru, Azad and Patel did not listen. This ledto the foundation of Pakistan by Jinnah, Mr Abdullah alleged.
The comments drew strong reaction from Union minister Jitender Singh, whoasked the NC chief to “re-read the history of the sub-continent”, whereasstate unit of BJP accused Mr Abdullah of using selective quotes fromhistory to rouse communal passions.
Let us not forget that a committee was constituted by some Muslimintellectuals who had vehemently opposed the idea of partition,” he toldreporters on the sidelines of a function here.
Taking serious exception to the NC president’s statement, state BJPspokesperson Anil Gupta said through selective quoting from history, MrAbdullah was not only trying to please his vote bank but also triggeringcommunal passions.
“Abdullah referred to the Cabinet Mission which visited India in 1946, butconveniently ignored to tell his audience that the demand for Pakistan wasmade by Jinnah much earlier in 1940 at the Lahore Resolution,” he said.