Review Jaswant Singh Book' Jinnah partition ,India"

Jaswant left the Indian Army about four decades back and joined the BJP, the Hindu political party floated with the backing of nationalist Hindu organizations like the RSS (Rashtra Swaym sewak Sangh). In fact he was a founder member of the party in 1980.Jaswant rise over the last 3 decades was meteoric and he achieved a great deal of prominence in the BJP. He had the distinction of being India's foreign Minister during the erstwhile rule of the BJP when Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.
With the defeat of the BJP in 2004 at the hustings, Mr. Jaswant has used his spare time well by writing scholarly articles and books. His latest Book 'Jinnah-partition, India ' is one such exercise. It’s a well written book and Jaswant cannot be faulted in his rendering of that tortuous period in the history of the sub continent.

!947 was a momentous period in Indian history. Pakistan and India were given freedom from British colonial rule after nearly 150 years. The two nation theory was accepted and the independent Muslim state of Pakistan was created. Singh points out that Jinnah now revered as the founder of Pakistan was not a rabid communal as made out by Hindu leaders of the Congress. He was basically secular and if at all he had any hatred it was not for the Hindus but the Congress which was dominated by Hindu leaders Nehru and Patel.

Jaswant brings out the fact that Nehru and Patel for their personal ambitions persuaded Gandhi to agree to Partition and the creation of Pakistan. Jaswant has thus stirred a hornets’ nest and gone against the national policy of the BJP which wishes to think that Sardar V Patel was a pro Hindu leader. They forget that Patel was the first Congress leader to ban the RSS in 1948.
But Jaswant does not analyse the reasons and the mind of Jinnah as to why he called for 'Direct Action' in 1946.The result of this call was disastrous as communal riots erupted all over India, as Muslims resorted to violence on Jinnah’s call and the Hindus retaliated, leading to the biggest carnage in world history.

The book would have had added value if Jaswant had dissected this aspect of Jinnah. However despite this lacuna the period of Indian History at that time is lucidly presented by Jaswant Singh. One may or may not agree with him, but the book is eminently readable. Jaswant has already paid the price for his scholarly work by being expelled from the BJP, but that should not deter serious students of Indian History to read this book
I for one recommend this book to all and sundry that has some interest in the sub continent.