In a frank letter to P D Tandon (a copy of which he endorsed to Patel) dated August 8, 1950, Nehru wrote: 'We have many major problems in India, but I feel more and more that perhaps the most important of them is how to hold fast to certain basic ideals of the Congress as it used to be.
One of these, which is of supreme importance today, is to fight against communalism. I see this communal spirit growing and spreading in India, together with something that I would call revivalism.
I know all that has happened in Pakistan and that this is the reaction to it in India. But that is partly an explanation; it does not help.
It has brought out all the intolerance, pettiness and narrow-mindedness in our people and I fear that India can never progress if we think and function in this way.'
One of these, which is of supreme importance today, is to fight against communalism. I see this communal spirit growing and spreading in India, together with something that I would call revivalism.
I know all that has happened in Pakistan and that this is the reaction to it in India. But that is partly an explanation; it does not help.
It has brought out all the intolerance, pettiness and narrow-mindedness in our people and I fear that India can never progress if we think and function in this way.'
Source: Sardar Patel and Indian Muslims, by Rafiq Zakaria, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1996
No comments:
Post a Comment