30th Nov 2013
Interview: A G Noorani
Outspoken and caustic in his comments, noted constitutional expert, writer and historian Abdul Gafoor Abdul Majeed Noorani, popularly known as A.G. Noorani, blames Sardar Vallabhai Patel for the "Police Action", saying that it was Patel's hatred for Hyderabadi culture that was the motivating factor behind the orders to the Indian Army to march into the largest princely State.
Mr Noorani says that the Operation Polo, or the Police Action as is it better known, could have been avoided as the Nizam was almost on the verge of surrender due to economic blockade by Indian Government during those fateful days.It could have also saved the lives of hundreds Muslims and also Hindus who have been massacred in the battle and revenge, he adds.
Contrary to popular belief that "Iron man of India" Sardar Vallabhai Patel whose world's tallest 597 feet "Statue of Unity" is coming up in Modi ruled Gujarat was unifier of India, 83-year old Noorani demolishes the theory saying it was not Patel but Lord Mountbatten who brought about the accession of the states to India and thus prevented the country's balkanisation.
Noorani hits out at Patel, who he describes him as "mean and vindictive" and Mohd Ali Jinnah, for their dubious roles.
The writer says Patel finished the task by integrating the States already acceded with the provinces and ensuring that they had democratic rule. Patel first preference always was the military option while Nehru focussed on diplomacy.
The Police Action masterminded by Patel was as much directed at Nehru as at the Nizam and Hyderabad culture, he tells C.R. Gowri Shanker and Mir Quadir Ali in an exclusive interview to Deccan Chronicle before the launch of his new book, "The Destruction of Hyderabad."
Excerpts:
Q: What made you to write the book "Destruction of Hyderabad" after six decades of "Police action"?
A: This book is part of trilogy. (The first part was) Jinnah and Tilak: Comrades in the Freedom Struggle was published in 2010.... It mentions what every biographer of Jinnah and Tilak suppressed, because there were very close friends...the second part was of the trilogy was Kashmir dispute which was published on May 15 at Srinagar....
Q: Hyderabad as logical third?
A: Yes...Hyderabad was logical third. And as I mentioned in the book, I had kept cuttings of the correspondence between the Nizam and Governor General of India which is not available in the White Paper of India as well as Hyderabad. I had been collecting data right from my school days. This is published in the book form for the first time. That is the reason why they are part of same transaction... August, 47, Independence, October Kashmir dispute and there is a link...the Kashmir connection which is there in the chapter in the book.
On the November 1, 1947, Mountbatten gave Jinnah written proposals that if he agreed for a plebiscite in all these three states, the matter could be settled. Jinnah rejected this.
He said "Keep Junagadh and Kashmir and keep off Hyderabad". That was a fatal mistake.
Jinnah had invested, foolishly, enormous amounts, nearly 2 lakh or a little less, in Hyderabad in March 1947, which defined his assumption that Hyderabad, if it stood up to India, would survive. Secondly, that even after partition there will be free movement of men, money and material. Both assumptions were belied.
Jinnah not only rejected these proposals in writing, he egged on Hyderabad to fight.
Now look at these things ...had he accepted the proposals, the cold war would have been nipped in the bud in the month of November.
Jinnah was invited to visit Delhi. He could have gone and stayed as guest of Governor General Mountbatten...he could have gone to the Muslim refugee camps in Delhi....Hyderabad would have survived...maybe eventually it could have broken up on linguistic lines...Nizam would not have been humiliated...there would have been no cold war.
Everything would have fallen into place. It was Jinnah's arrogance...Jinnah gave different advice to the Nawab of Bhopal said I can't help you”.
At the same time he told Hyderabad to fight India. He refused give any assurances of help. So, the Nizam fought with Jinnah. Jinnah advice was conceived in the interest of Pakistan not Hyderabad. Other advices were no better. They were supported in his mad drive to get an outlet to sea which could not have been possible because you needed India’s consent.
This is the book which has no heroes. Everyone was at fault. The Nizam treated non-Muslims well and a way he was secular. But none the less he knew it was Muslim rule in a state with majority were Hindus. Urdu was given primacy. But everybody warned him he must remember the other languages also. Ali Jung played a double game.
Bahadur Yar Jung, whom people admired, wanted an Islamic State ruled by Nizam over majority of Hindus. It was an unreal situation. Absolutely unreal situation.
It was tragedy in the making. Jawaharlal Nehru was an Indian Nationalist and Vallabhai Patel was Hindu nationalist. He wanted to destroy rather Hyderabadi culture.
He looked down upon Sarojini Naidu for standing up for up Hyderabadi culture. Nehru sympathised with Hyderabadi culture. Vallahbhai Patel was mean and vindictive.
He insulted....after the Police Action when Nehru came herem he behaved like a noble and gracious man. Vallabhai Patel behaved like a mean and vindictive person.
He insulted the Nizam repeatedly. Asked him to repent...all that. That too a fallen man!
So this is the tragedy...but in my opinion as Omar Khalid said the Muslims of Hyderabad were lucky to find the Telugus as their neighbours because Telugus are a tolerant people.
What has happened since then is that barring some people fanatics everybody says let’s turn a new corner and learn lessons from past. And therein lies hope.
Q: You have titled the book "Destruction of Hyderabad". Who destroyed Hyderabad?
A: All these people connived. The Nizam....The first and foremost Vallabhai Patel. Vallabhai Patel chose a man who was a notorious Hindu communalist K.M. Munshi. He was notorious.
Archival material shows he was virtually the RSS...Hindu Mahasabha mole in the Congress. That mean he didn’t want settlement.
If you read the book from the beginning, Munshi advised against a settlement and he wanted Hyderabad to be destroyed. Because he the architect of Hindu revivalism, he didn’t like (Hyderabadi culture) it and called (it) an alien culture. Muslim culture was to him....Hyderabadi culture was to him alien culture.
Q: You have attributed communal leanings to Sardar Vallabhai Patel and K.M. Munshi. But now both Congress and BJP are treating Sardar Vallabhai... Modi as their leader... Modi went to extent of constructing a statue.
A: I am not concerned with that. This is beyond the book so I don’t want to go into that.
Q: Were some facts about Police Action was suppressed?
A: Absolutely...Completely. People outside didn't know about it. Hyderabadis were seen walking on the streets of Bombay aimlessly. They didn't know whether to stay on or go to Pakistan. But the Hyderabadi diaspora would not have been in such a situation but for Police Action. And wherever Hyderabadis went abroad, they enriched the societies. In America... in Europe...in England...in the Gulf...in Pakistan and in Australia. Jinnah said fight even if you don't have ammunition. Fight even if you don’t have petrol. That was a dishonest and irresponsible advice.
Q: Why was the Sunderlal Committee report on the massacre of Muslims suppressed. Who suppressed it?
A: Because Vallabhai Patel was a Hindu nationalist and this report by a secular man like Pandit Sunderlal. He insulted the man who forwarded the report to him and disowned him. Because they (the Committee) were set up by Nehru and Azad. In a way (it) insulted the Prime Minister. And Vallabhai Patel had a spy in the Nizam’s cabinet.
Q: Do you think the Police Action could have been avoided?
A: Yes, in the same way the Operation Blue Star could have been avoided.
Q: How?
A: Economic blockade was beginning to tell. A few months would not have harmed. But Patel wanted to destroy...that's the reason for destruction of Hyderabad.
Q: You have said in the book that Patel wanted to target not only Nizam but also Nehru.
A: Well, he wanted to target not only Nizam but also Nehru.
Q: Telangana is in the offing...
A: I am not going beyond the book....I am not commenting on present politics.
Q: Hyderabad State had well organised legal system? It had abolished capital punishment?
A: Hyderabad was a model state. It was in many ways a rebel state. It had its own railways...its own coinage...its own broadcasting station....
Q: You are visiting Hyderabad at a time when bifurcation of State is in process?
A: No comment on current politics. (Asks us to mention... Please mention that I refused to comment on current politics....do mention it.)
Q: Apart from "Police Action", what was the other option that could have been put in place on Hyderabad issue?
A: Look...there was an effective economic blockade. There were liberal Hyderabadis...like Mirza who wanted accession. And with the economic sanction telling, the Nizam would have repudiated these people. They could have waited.
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