NDTV: India Better-off With Partition? -1/5

This is a solid panel discussion with leading scholars, columnists, intellectuals, and politicians on whether India has been better off with Partition. It represents a wide variety of perspectives and deals with such factors as: (a) flaws of the failed Cabinet Mission Plan that could have led to Balkanization of India; (b) disenchantment of Muslim immigrants from UP and Bihar with Punjabi domination in Pakistan; (c) historical existence of India as a unified "cultural" if not a "political" entity; (d) potential spillover in united India of Cold War power play and Middle Eastern religious politics; (e) extreme difficulty of integrating a "continental-size" country with a diverse population; (f) role of British in introducing and aggravating communal feelings between Hindus and Muslims; (g) redundancy of "minority syndrome" among Muslims in a unified Subcontinent; (h) extremely communally charged atmosphere in the 1940s that made Partition inevitable; (i) forging of an Indian "nation" after Partition via introduction of a Constitution and a liberal democracy; and (j) RSS "Akhand Bharat" ideology for reuniting the Subcontinent. The panel also discusses potential reunification of the Subcontinent and whether Muslims would have been better off in a united India.

The panel discussion was hosted by Vikram Chandra, host of the weekly Indian TV program "The Big Fight", in Fall 2009 following publication of Jaswant Singh's book on Jinnah and Partition; the episode was titled "An Undivided India?" The panelists are: (1) Salman Khurshid, Indian minister of Minority Affairs; (2) Ahok Malik, Senior Journalist at Pioneer; (3) Sir Mark Tully, former Bureau Chief of BBC, New Delhi; (4) Tarun Vijay, former editor of RSS weekly, Panchajanya, and a columnist of Times of India; (5) Ramachandra Guha, historian and columnist for the Telegraph and Hindustan Times; (6) Shatrujit Singh, Prince of Kapurthala; and (7) Yusuf Salahuddin, grandson of Allama Iqbal, one of the leading proponents of the "two-nation" theory.

PLEASE READ MY COMMENTS ON THE VIDEO BEFORE WATCHING.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• India
• Subcontinent
• Hindustan
• Pakistan
• Partition
• independence
• division
• breakup
• Quaid-e-Azam
• Mohammad
• Ali
• Jinnah
• Jawaharlal
• Nehru
• Mahatma
• Gandhi
• Patel
• Maulana
• Azad
• Mountbatten
• Indian
• National
• Congress
• Muslim
• League
• British
• responsibility
• responsible
• history
• factors
• forces
• causes
• reasons
• analysis
• perspectives
• historical
• overview
• consequences
• effects
• Two
• Nation
• Theory
• Hindus
• Sikh
• communal
• hate
• hatred
• divide
• communalism
• genocide
• SAARC
• reunification
• reunified
• reunited
• Akhand
• Bharat

[PakPORKistan]

just look at pakistan do you really want to live with them!!!!!!! thanks to jinnah(who i personally think of as an idiot), we do not live with thse fanatics anymore

[Vercene]

Yes they are better off because there are less muslims.

[SIXMIXFIXGIX]

Every Day I THANK Ali Jinnah the 'Gin' Drinker, Weed Smoker and Mujra Liker :)))

[irshaad86]

@workhardt2 I don't know what made you say that in undivided India, there would be too much stagnation, corruption becoz Pakistan raced ahead of India in 1950s and 60s in both economic terms and as well as in other terms. Even if you take a look right now, Pakistan fares better than India in certain sections even after being engulfed in war and political instability. Muslim problems? Don't you think there are hindu problems aswell. Communal polarization is still there and it won't go so easily.

[workhardt2]

Jinnah, and his stupid "Two Nation Theroy" !

Jinnah really succeded in Dividing the sub continent !

[workhardt2]

Well, the idea or the first priority of any nation is to raise the living standards of its citizens. With an undivided India, i fear there would be too much stagnation, corruption, communal polizations, and the arab, muslim problems would be India's nemesis.

[zolmaster100]

ppl say thnk god pak was seperated and it is in its worst condition ...! i not really think so if indai wasnt divided then pakistan also would had been developed

[MrSatyanveshi]

No Pakistani will say partition was a bad thing

No Pakistani will speak good about any hindus

So why are Indian people romanticizing that partition was bad and we that we are brothers? Can't you read and understand Pakistani view points? Don't be foolish Pakistanis are no brothers they are just hindu haters and india haters.

[sikhrocks]

Partition was the best thing which happened to INDIA.

[MrTheCorrupter]

@satyvirjasra India is a huge nation with a diverse population.I am a minority, and I can vouch for you that minorities dont feel unsafe in India.Yes,communal riots tend to happen.Think about it? Babri masjid was built by an invader right on top of the center point of Hindu civilization.How would a Muslim feel, if hindus built a temple over kabah,or just nuke it out?.And Gujarat does not represent Indian state policy.In time,people are getting educated and integrating more.

[satyvirjasra]

@Vercene Well...I dnt think its betr because there are less muslims in india....But yeh u do make a sense tho.....India took the right away from muslims aftr partition, the right to make riots, and control government as a dectator, like they were used to 1000 years ago...Now they cant say anything....Stupid ppl were gone...Even muslims in india are proud to be indians.... u shud knw that aye.... =) BTW I M A HINDU TOO....

[Phead128]

India doesn't even own the Indus Valley, the supposed source of Indian civilization...

Plus, Pakistan derives her sense of identity by her existential defiance relative to a hindu India....always having to "prove" sovereignty by posing herself as the "real" anti-Indian arch rival...