17. Jinnah’s Fears will have to be Allayed

JINNAH’S FEARS WILL HAVE TO BE ALLAYED

New Delhi, July 12, 1944.

“Welcoming the Rajagopalachari formula, as a sign of” Return to Sanity “Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Labour Member, Government of India, in a Press interview said he nevertheless preferred his own scheme outlined in 1943, under which Pakistan would be tried as an experiment for ten years and if at the end of that period Mussalmans in Pakistan decided to amalgamate with Hindustan, they should be free to do so. His scheme further contemplated an Act of the British Parliament, the setting up of a delimitation commission, and the holding of two plebiscites, first of Mussalmans to determine whether they wanted partition and second of Non-Muslims, to decide whether they would prefer to stay in Pakistan or go out of it.

Boundary Commission If Non-Muslims decided to be in Pakistan, then the boundaries of Pakistan would be the present provincial boundaries, while if Non-Muslims declared themselves opposed to staying in Pakistan, a Boundary Commission would be set up to demarcate the predominantly Muslim district from predominantly Non-Muslim districts.

Dr. Ambedkar, however, welcomed Gandhiji’s acceptance of the principle of the self-determination, but felt that it would have been much better if the offer was made by him and it would also have been better if the offer was unconditional and not subject to conditions such as joining in the demand for independence and for the establishment of full National Government.

Jinnah’s Fears Dr. Ambedkar could not see on what grounds Mr. Jinnah could turn down the offer. The fact that in a plebiscite Hindus might influence Muslims to secure their votes against Pakistan might be Mr. Jinnah’s ground for rejection of the offer. But plebiscite was the only way in which a problem of this kind could be decided. Dr. Ambedkar knows of no case in history in which such a problem was decided without a plebiscite.

Will Congress Buy Off Muslims ?

“There are risks in a plebiscite,” Dr. Ambedkar conceded, “but such risks Mr. Jinnah will have to take. Sincerity behind the offer is more important than the offer itself. Mr. Jinnah may well feel disinclined to accept the offer, knowing that Mr. Rajagopalachari and the Congress may have made it purely, as a matter of fact, to put him in the wrong and may simultaneously with the making of the offer have devised ways and means of buying the votes of Muslims. Mr. Jinnah may well ask Mr. Rajagopalachari if there was any truth in the disclosures made in his defamation case about his intention to offer Pakistan to Muslims and then to circumvent it by purchasing Muslims in Pakistan to negative the offer. “Gandhiji will have to prove his sincerity behind the offer and also guarantee that Hindus would not prevent Muslims from giving free vote.” 1 zz

1. : Free Press of India dated 13th July 1944.