112-Independence and partition of India
एक दुखी परिवार-112
The con-game for the Indian throne.
Despite Gandhi’s open support for Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress Party overwhelmingly wanted Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as the Congress President and consequently the first Prime Minister of India, because it considered Patel as ‘a great executive, organizer and leader”, with his feet firmly on the ground.
The last date for the nominations for the post of the President of Congress, and thereby the first Prime Minister of India, was April 29, 1946.
By this time Gandhi had already made his choice widely known. Still 12 out of 15 Pradesh Congress Committees, the only legal bodies having power to nominate and elect President of the Party, nominated Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The remaining three may not have nominated Patel but then they did not even nominate Jawaharlal Nehru.
Thus, no Pradesh Congress Committee proposed the name of Jawaharlal Nehru even on the last day of filing the nominations i.e. April 29, 1946.
J.B Kripalani took the lead in finding the proposers and seconders for Nehru’s candidacy, in deference to Gandhi’s wishes, during the Working Committee meeting on 29.04.1946 in New Delhi.
Kripalani succeeded in getting a few Working Committee members and local members of AICC to propose Nehru’s name for the post.
Though, Gandhi knew Nehru's nomination almost missed the April 29 deadline, and also even he could not get at least one Pradesh Congress Committee, the only legitimate body entitled to elect the President of the Congress, to nominate Jawaharlal.
However once Nehru was formally proposed by a few Working Committee members, efforts began to persuade Sardar Patel to withdraw his nomination in favour of Jawaharlal.
Patel sought Gandhiji’s advice who , in turn, asked him to do so and “Vallabhbhai did so at once.
But it must be mentioned that before advising Patel to withdraw , Gandhi had given enough hint to Nehru to allow the legitimate nomination of Sardar Patel to go through the process. Gandhi said to Nehru:
“No PCC has put forward your name…only [a few members of] the Working Committee has.”
This remark of Gandhi was met by Jawaharlal with “complete silence”.
Only after Gandhi was informed that “Jawaharlal will not take the second place” he asked Patel to withdraw. Dr. Rajendra Prasad lamented that Gandhiji “had once again sacrificed his trusted lieutenant for the sake of the ‘glamorous Nehru’ and further feared that “Nehru would follow the British ways.”
(He might have meant Nehru was a British nominee whom the British had put into the pedestal, using Gandhi as a conduit).
When Rajendra Prasad was using the phrase “once again” he indeed was referring to the denial of Presidentship of the Congress party to Patel in the years 1929, 1937 and 1946 in preference to Nehru.
Let it also be mentioned that Rajendra Prasad was not the only person to complain about Gandhi “sacrificing his trusted lieutenant for the sake of the glamorous Nehru.” There were many others as well. But Gandhiji took the decision because he was convinced that “Jawaharlal will not take a second place but by giving Jawaharlal the first place , India would not be deprived of Patel’s services and both will be like two oxen yoked to the Governmental cart. One will need the other and both will pull together”.
(Cont. .)
एक दुखी परिवार-112
The con-game for the Indian throne.
Despite Gandhi’s open support for Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress Party overwhelmingly wanted Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as the Congress President and consequently the first Prime Minister of India, because it considered Patel as ‘a great executive, organizer and leader”, with his feet firmly on the ground.
The last date for the nominations for the post of the President of Congress, and thereby the first Prime Minister of India, was April 29, 1946.
By this time Gandhi had already made his choice widely known. Still 12 out of 15 Pradesh Congress Committees, the only legal bodies having power to nominate and elect President of the Party, nominated Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The remaining three may not have nominated Patel but then they did not even nominate Jawaharlal Nehru.
Thus, no Pradesh Congress Committee proposed the name of Jawaharlal Nehru even on the last day of filing the nominations i.e. April 29, 1946.
J.B Kripalani took the lead in finding the proposers and seconders for Nehru’s candidacy, in deference to Gandhi’s wishes, during the Working Committee meeting on 29.04.1946 in New Delhi.
Kripalani succeeded in getting a few Working Committee members and local members of AICC to propose Nehru’s name for the post.
Though, Gandhi knew Nehru's nomination almost missed the April 29 deadline, and also even he could not get at least one Pradesh Congress Committee, the only legitimate body entitled to elect the President of the Congress, to nominate Jawaharlal.
However once Nehru was formally proposed by a few Working Committee members, efforts began to persuade Sardar Patel to withdraw his nomination in favour of Jawaharlal.
Patel sought Gandhiji’s advice who , in turn, asked him to do so and “Vallabhbhai did so at once.
But it must be mentioned that before advising Patel to withdraw , Gandhi had given enough hint to Nehru to allow the legitimate nomination of Sardar Patel to go through the process. Gandhi said to Nehru:
“No PCC has put forward your name…only [a few members of] the Working Committee has.”
This remark of Gandhi was met by Jawaharlal with “complete silence”.
Only after Gandhi was informed that “Jawaharlal will not take the second place” he asked Patel to withdraw. Dr. Rajendra Prasad lamented that Gandhiji “had once again sacrificed his trusted lieutenant for the sake of the ‘glamorous Nehru’ and further feared that “Nehru would follow the British ways.”
(He might have meant Nehru was a British nominee whom the British had put into the pedestal, using Gandhi as a conduit).
When Rajendra Prasad was using the phrase “once again” he indeed was referring to the denial of Presidentship of the Congress party to Patel in the years 1929, 1937 and 1946 in preference to Nehru.
Let it also be mentioned that Rajendra Prasad was not the only person to complain about Gandhi “sacrificing his trusted lieutenant for the sake of the glamorous Nehru.” There were many others as well. But Gandhiji took the decision because he was convinced that “Jawaharlal will not take a second place but by giving Jawaharlal the first place , India would not be deprived of Patel’s services and both will be like two oxen yoked to the Governmental cart. One will need the other and both will pull together”.
(Cont. .)
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