By George!

While the nation debates L K Advani8217;s remarks on Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a senior NDA leader is engrossed in his own flight of fancy. In a...

While the nation debates L K Advani8217;s remarks on Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a senior NDA leader is engrossed in his own flight of fancy. In a blatant disregard to the real issue on hand, Janata Dal leader George Fernandes is exploiting the opportunity to train his guns once again on the Nehru-Gandhi family, laying the entire blame of Partition on Jawaharlal Nehru. Some may say his attempt to exonerate Jinnah is merely to lend support to Advani, but it is not difficult to fathom that all George wants is to target the Nehru-Gandhi family once again.

Veteran socialist leader Madhu Limaye had once lamented that George8217;s obsession with the Nehru-Gandhi family could take him to brink of treason. That was when George rushed to meet General Zia-ul-Haq to complain against Indira Gandhi. Limaye8217;s point is evident this time too.

What George needs to do is check history, the pages of which are replete with the rapport Nehru shared with Muslim national leaders, including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai. The truth remains that Gandhi and Nehru tried their best to woo Jinnah and prevent Partition. Perhaps George should also visit Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore, where the Muslim League resolution in support of the two-nation theory, passed in 1935 years before independence, is engraved in stone. To say that Nehru was not ready to recruit Muslim League leaders in government and that was the chief reason behind Partition is plain ridiculous.

In my view, Jinnah8217;s Constituent Assembly speech had a clear purpose. Having created Pakistan, Jinnah had to run the new State smoothly. Hence, the rare elements of secular thinking in Jinnah8217;s speech that day. But what cannot be doubted is that Jinnah8217;s actions, all his thoughts and thesis, were built on dividing two communities and create a nation based on religion.

Wasting funds

RS 250 CRORE were washed away over 18 years to investigate allegations of a Rs 64-crore scam, without producing a single thread of evidence against the accused. That8217;s the Bofors case in a nutshell. The CBI investigations that travelled across countries in search of that elusive evidence cannot justify the costly extravagance. Unfortunately, this was an investigation carried out under different, and often rival, regimes. And nobody had the foresight to check on the progress.

Using a bubble, as an honourable High Court judge termed the Bofors case, NDA and others sought to demolish several political careers in one go. But there are three judgments at different times, all lamenting the lack of evidence. Even Ram Jethmalani, who fired the first salvo in the Bofors case, has acknowledged that there was nothing in it.

It is ironical that the investigating agency itself is the only party that has come under fire at the end of the controversy. The time has come for the government to draw a line on the scope of investigations in financial scams. To spend Rs 100 to investigate an alleged corruption involving Rs 10 is not just a frivolous waste of money but an offence against our country8217;s taxpayers. Such investigations should be divided into clear phases with further continuation strictly contingent on detailed progress reports.

Another Gandhi film

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Recent events suggest Indian history is back in fashion. While Jinnah and Nehru are back in the headlines, actor Anil Kapoor is making a film on the controversial relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his son, Hari Lal. This is no doubt a sensitive subject. Kapoor claims he will be honest in showing the conflict from both sides instead of an unabashed eulogy or criticism of the father of the nation. The rumours are that Gandhi misbehaved with his son, which made the latter turn hostile towards his father. And that the son even changed his religion out of frustration.

Kapoor deserves praise for choosing a sensible, historical subject for his first venture, rather than making a formula film with a higher chance of commercial success. Currently being shot in South Africa and India, the film should be ready for release by the year-end.

The writer is a Congress member of the Rajya Sabha. You can send your feedback at shuklarajeevgmail.com