Nehru’s Word: Communalism will pull India from her roots

With polling for the five state legislatures on in full swing, we witness every day dangerous moves to polarise the voters along communal lines. The latest being the huge row created over the wearing of hijab. One is amazed how in a country which is facing rising unemployment, spiralling inflation, a health crisis of epidemic proportions, with children remaining deprived of school and education for two years, the issue of what head covering should or should not be worn can excite such attention! We were warned 70 years ago by Jawaharlal Nehru during the campaign for the first general elections how dangerous communalism would prove to be and how we must find out its roots and strike at them. We bring you this week extracts from a speech he gave at in his hometown Allahabad on 12 December 1951, as an example of what was the recurring theme in his election campaign.

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“Even now, as I stand before you after a long interval here in Allahabad, I cannot bring myself to say that I am standing for Parliament and that you should vote for me…. If you want to vote for me, do so. If you do not, you need not….I am not prepared to defend myself or plead for your votes. It is absurd when I have spent a lifetime in public service during which it is quite clear that I have done some good work and committed some mistakes too….

Nowadays as you know I often refer to the problem of communalism, etc. People often complain--among them are some old friends and colleagues-- that by talking of communalism, Jawaharlal wishes to hide his weaknesses and failures and tries to sweep the real problem, the economic problem of the country, under the carpet. I would like to point out very respectfully that it is a totally unjustified criticism because I entirely agree that the most important question before us is the economic problem and to remove poverty from the country... and to uplift the millions in the country….So, therefore, when I refer to communalism, it is because it creates obstacles in the way of solving the basic problem of removal of poverty ....

The individual who is communal-minded is a small man with a narrow mind who cannot undertake anything big; and nations based on petty principles also become small. We had become great intellectually because Mahatma Gandhi came and raised the stature of our country and widened our horizon. But, there are others who come and talk of communalism whether the word ‘communal' is used or not, the result is that we immediately shrink in size and our country also shrinks….

I am amazed when I see in certain newspapers statements and speeches, specially from our communalist organisations like the Hindu Mahasabha, Ram Rajya Parishad, Jan Sangh and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. They hotly deny that they are communal organisations. Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee denies very forcibly that the RSS and the Jan Sangh are communal. What can I say in reply for it has not been put down on paper nor will anyone be foolish enough to shout from the roof tops that he is communal. But people are recognized by their activities and traditions.

If there is a communal organisation in India today, it is the Jan Sangh, which is not only communal, but is utterly reactionary in every way. I am saying this from my personal knowledge. It is no secret that the most reactionary people in India today are the princes and jagirdars and others, who, I think, should be labelled 'backward classes' and all of them are behind the Jan Sangh.

They throw money lavishly. You may wonder why I am mentioning money. The Congress is a very big organisation but, as far as I could make out, other parties are spending ten times as much as we are in these elections. They are spending enormous sums because the coffers of the capitalists are open to them.

So, communalism opens up an old wound and keeps it festering and therefore it is very dangerous. We must remedy that by changing our social fabric so that this malaise may be removed as also the factors which increase it and put India in a terrible situation….Please remember that the moment you open the doors to it, it spreads very fast….It is a strange situation and you must realise how dangerous it is. If we do not suppress it and fight against it or give it any scope whatsoever, it will pull India from her roots. Political communalism is a superficial thing ....

The communal organisations are doing a great deal of damage by constantly spreading ill-feeling. This is not open to argument. If my argument is right, then they are causing harm not only to the entire national cause but also to their own narrow cause because the Hindus cannot hope to make progress through the Jan Sangh or the Hindu Mahasabha and want the others in India to be left behind. It is a childish thought because not only the others but the Hindus will also be left behind….

I had said, and I shall repeat this, that the conspiracy to kill Mahatma Gandhi had been hatched in Gwalior and that the Hindu Mahasabha had a big hand in it….Since then the Hindu Mahasabha has repeatedly mentioned Godse's name and praised him, and passed resolutions congratulating him. How can the Hindu Mahasabha think that under such circumstances I can respect their party even a little?

I can tell you quite honestly that I consider them as traitors.... Therefore, taking all this into account I came to the conclusion that the Congress has to go on, in spite of the weaknesses and defects which creep into an organization that has tasted success. I do not see any other organization capable of carrying on the process of consolidation and undertaking the economic tasks successfully….

The communal organisations have no special programme except to abuse and criticise the Government or the Congress or talk about religion. Now ours is a secular State. What does it mean? This word has come into vogue, but, as a matter of fact, the majority of the countries in the world are run on secular lines, that is, giving full freedom to all religions to follow their own path and no religion tries to suppress the others.

The Government also recognizes and respects all religions equally and does not give importance to any particular religion. This is what is meant by a secular State. There is no particular religion of the State which is given so much importance that it harms the others.

(Selected and edited by Mridula Mukherjee, former Professor of History at JNU and former Director of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library).