The legacy of Jinnah in Indian politics

“Of all the statesmen that I have known in my life - Clemenceau, Lloyd George, Churchill, Curzon, Mussolini, Mahatma Gandhi - Jinnah is the most remarkable. None of these men in my view outshone him in the strength of character, and in that almost uncanny combination of prescience and resolution which is statecraft.”-Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III.

Every year the birthday of heroic figure and greatest leader Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah is celebrated with full enthusiasm in Pakistan and beyond. However, few pay little attention to his colossal and courageous personality. As the nation will mark the 145th birthday of the Quaid-i-Azam this year, one needs to dive deeper into history and extract some meaningful ideas to unfold the hidden layers of his popular memories.

In today’s polarised world, where populist leaders have dominated the political field, the stature of the Quaid-i-Azam must not be ignored. His political and legal acumen can perfectly guide the political leaderships of the present day. One of the most prominent traits of heroic figures is their personal character which reflects their overall personality. Quaid-i-Azam had an appealing and elegant character throughout his life. His life was free from personal controversies and scandals, despite his rival’s criticism of him for marrying a girl twenty years younger than him. However, the truth is otherwise. It was his committed, professional, confident and charismatic personality that made him popular in the Indian subcontinent and beyond, in no time.

The trustworthy character of Jinnah changed the social mindset of people in becoming politically aware and speaking for their rights. Jinnah had a great role in the political consciousness of Indian politics. The altruistic leadership embedded in Jinnah’s character made Allama Mohammad Iqbal deem fit to request Jinnah to be the one to sail the ship of the oppressed. The great philosopher, in one of his letters to Jinnah, wrote: “you are the only Muslim in India today to whom the community has the right to look up for safe guidance through the storm which is coming to North-West India and, perhaps, to the whole of India.”

The non-partisan character of Jinnah mirrored his secular nature. Jinnah stood for the rights of everyone regardless of colour, creed and race, from the very onset of this political journey. In his entire career, he worked tremendously on appeasing the hatred of Hindus against Muslims and Muslims against Hindus. In this regard, his appointment of Jogendra Nath Mandal as the country’s first law minister serves made Jinnah’s position on merit and impartiality evident. His proposition of the name of Gandhi for the Presidency of the Home Rule League, which was vacant at that time, further depicts the non-partisan and novel nature of Jinnah. He strongly believed in inter-communal harmony. The establishment of the All India Muslim League London chapter was mainly for the purpose of inter-communal harmony and internationalisation of the cause of Indians. The AIML London chapter held several meetings with Congress to wash out the rifts between the two factions and work for the greater cause of Indians.

The notion of Jinnah’s voice limited for the Muslim community only is merely a fallacy. Jinnah was a voice of the oppressed and marginalised community. Jinnah was the one who bravely defended the case of Indian labourers who had been exported to South Africa to meet the needs of the Imperial British. When the matter came for a debate in the Imperial Legislative Council, Jinnah was the one who had the capacity to talk in the eyes of Viceroy Minto. He took up the floor and said: “It is a most painful question, a question has roused the feelings of all classes in the country to the highest pitches of indignation and horror at the harsh and cruel treatment that is meted out to Indians in South Africa.” Viceroy felt enraged over the use of words like “cruel treatment,” which he considered, ‘too harsh to be used for a friendly empire.’ The brave Jinnah again stood and said: “My Lord! I should feel much inclined to use much stronger language. But I am fully aware that of the constitution of this council, and I do not wish to trespass for one single moment. But I do say that the treatment meted out to Indians is the harshest and the feeling in this country is unanimous.”

Jinnah’s staunch support for Hindu-Muslim unity and peaceful resolution of issues through dialogue and political settlement was another one of his important legacies. He was a crucial bridge between Congress and Muslim League. Jinnah tried his every attempt to minimize the friction between Hindus and Muslims. The Lucknow Pact of 1916, is an evident fact of bridging the gap between Congress and the Muslim League. After the Lucknow Pact, the two factions reconciled with common demands from the imperial British. Sarojni Naidu, based on Jinnah’s devotion towards inter-communal harmony, gave him the title of “Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity.” Most importantly, the allegation of Jinnah being a supporter of the British government stands nullified as Jinnah was the one who gave the idea of self-government and collectively tackle the British empire. Urging the cooperation between Hindus and Muslims, he described British policy of widening the religious fault lines as “a bogey, put before you by your enemies to frighten you... from cooperation and unity, which are essential for the establishment of self-government.” Lucknow Pact was the only historic moment in the history of Indian politics in which Congress and the Muslim League agreed for consensus.

Jinnah’s dream of Hindu-Muslim unity shattered when the jealous Gandhi started a non-cooperative movement and separate policies. Jinnah was a strong constitutionalist while Gandhi’s group was a firebrand. The constitutionalist legacy of Jinnah is one of the most precious footprints, he left for the Indian political consciousness. Constitutionalism was greatly embedded in his personality. He wanted to fight the oppression legally and under the boundaries of the constitution. When the colonial administration enacted the “Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act”,

Jinnah appealed in strong words to Viceroy to withdraw the anti-constitutional legislation. In protest, he resigned from the membership of the Imperial Legislative Council. Jinnah urged the proponents of the non-cooperative movement to legally and politically pressurise government under the shadow of the constitution. Jinnah, even, criticised Gandhi’s program of calling students off of government institutions by stressing that it was just throwing the children “in the street.” His pragmatic, secular and constitutionalist approach can be reflected in his letter to Gandhi, in January 1940, by emphasising that ‘I know of no religion apart from human activity that provides a moral basis for all other activities.’

Jinnah was also a champion of minority rights. As the president of Pakistan’s first Constituent Assembly, he strongly emphasised “The first duty of the state is to maintain law and order, to protect the life, property and religious beliefs of its people. The biggest curses of bribery, corruption, black-marketing, nepotism and jobbery, inherited from India, should be put down with an iron hand. As citizens of Pakistan, we have equal rights, privileges, and obligations, irrespective of colour, creed, caste and religion.

You are free, you are free to go to your temples, to mosques, or to any other place of worship in Pakistan.”

This shows Quaid commitment towards minority rights. He was the sole voice of minority rights. Jinnah not only demanded due rights of Muslims, who were a minority group in pre-partition India but also urged equal rights for other religious groups too. In one of his infamous fourteen points, Quaid said “All legislatures in the country and other elected bodies shall be constituted on the definite principle of adequate and effective representation of minorities in every province without reducing the majority in any province to a minority or even equality.”

On his 145th birthday, the Indian political literates need to reassess the legacy of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Indian politics, since Indian politics that is Pakistan and India, is badly indulged in radical right-wing politics, ultra-nationalism, ethnic fault lines and populist rhetoric.

Quaid’s legacy provides a panacea for all the afore-mentioned menace. What one needs is to inform itself with the true spirit and hidden realities of popular memories. For Pakistan to be developed and progressive, it has to stick to the principles of Jinnah. This was beautifully pointed by Bill Clinton, President of the United States of America, during his visit to Pakistan in 2000, “More than half a century ago, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, shared this vision as he addressed Pakistan’s constituent assembly; “If you work together”, he said, “in a spirit that every one of you is first, second and last a citizen with equal rights, privileges, and obligations, there will be no end to the progress you will make.” Pakistan can have a future worthy of the dreams of the Quaid-i-Azam.”

--The writer is a freelance contributor. He can be accessed at: asadkhanwazir40@yahoo.com