By S.M. Pasha,
The sad story of reservation for Muslims commences from the very dawn of Independence of India. In August 1947, the Constituent Assembly decided that Muslims, in future would have no separate electorates but there would be reservation of seats for them on the basis of population with the right to contest first the general seats and that this concession would last for a period of ten years.
The Muslim League members of the Assembly ought to have considered the concession as a gift of God Almighty in the troublesome days when the political atmosphere was heavily surcharged.
But, alas! two Muslim Leaguers , in their unbalanced zeal to serve the community and incidentally bring name and fame to their organization, without the knowledge and consent of their leader Quaide Millath Mohd. Ismail Saheb, insisted that the right to separate electorates must be retained.
This demand gave the “Iron Man” Sardar Patel, who was then the Union Home Minister and who was piloting the Bill on Reservations, a golden chance to withdraw the aforesaid concession and he did withdraw that concession, within two years,.
How Sardar Patel managed to get the said concession hastily withdrawn is an interesting tale. While moving the Motion for the withdrawal of the concession, he, falsely, informed the Assembly that Muslims had been consulted and that they were in favor of doing away with the reservation of seats.
Patel, with ulterior motives, made it appear as though the Muslims themselves were voluntarily giving up reservation which was provided in the Draft Constitution.
The Motion moved by the then Home Minister on the 25th of May 1949 before the Assembly was: “ Resolved that the Constitution Assembly do proceed to take into consideration the Report dated 11th May 1949 on the subject of certain political safeguards for minorities submitted by the Advisory Committee appointed by the resolution of the Assembly of 24th January 1947.”
The Motion resolved further: “notwithstanding any decisions already taken by the Constitution Assembly in this behalf, the provisions of Part XIV of the Draft Constitution of India be so amended as to give effect to the recommendations of the Advisory Committee contained in the said Report.”
It pains the writer to state that the declaration by Patel that Muslims themselves have come forward to decline the concession is a crystal clear white lie.
What transpired in the said Advisory Committee can be learnt from K. M. Munshi’s “Pilgrimage to Freedom” in which he narrates what took place at the Meeting of the said Advisory Committee on the 11th of May 1949.
Munshi says that after the Partition new Muslim members were elected to the Advisory Committee in place of the Muslim league representatives who ran away to Pakistan.
Among those who filled the vacancies were Tajamul Hussain and Begum Aijaz Rasul, the Muslim League leader who turned Congress leaders overnight. These members gave notices to the effect that the minorities are, because of the changed political situation, no longer interested in the concession given to them and that they have no objection to joint electorates.
Sardar Patel as the Chairman of the Committee, over-ruled the objection raised by Baba Saheb Ambedkar, who argued that the safeguards having been accepted by the main body of which the Advisory Committee is but a subordinate wing, they cannot and should not be discussed by the Committee.
Ambedkar further pointed out that the correct procedure would be to move such amendments in the Assembly and accept the verdict of the Assembly.
Sardar who was determined to do away with the concession, by hook or by crook, ruled that there was no bar to a fresh discussion.
Discussion did take place, Maulana Azad and other so-called “Nationalist Muslims” favored retaining the reservation for Muslims whilst only the two turncoats Tajamul Hussain and Begum Aejaz Rasul spoke in favor of the abolition of the concession.
Realizing that if the matter is put to vote, those in favour of concession will win, he abruptly adjourned the meeting in the ground that since Muslims are still divided in their attitude towards reservation if seats, some more time must be given to them to come to an unanimous decision.
The Advisory Committee met after a long gap on the 11th of May 1949 where a tragico-comical drama held sealed the fate of the concession granted to the minorities.
The so-called Nationalist Muslims under instructions from their leader Maulana Azad kept their traps tightly shut tight at that crucial time. Begum Aejaz Rasul who obviously, had been instructed to take advantage of the silence of the Congress Muslims, took the mike to faithfully sing the song the Sardar wanted her to sing.
Begum Aejaz Rasul said that Indian Muslims have no objection to the abolition of reservations for them. As soon as she resumed her seat, the Sardar got up and with unconcealed joy said: ‘” I am very glad that Muslims are unanimous in favor of joint electorates without reservations, we will now adjourn.”
This is how that Begum was projected by the Congress leader Sardar Patel the sole and undisputed voice of the minority community in free India.
Thanks to the Machiavellian maneuvers of the Iron Man of India, what was given reluctantly was taken hastily; taken away without rhyme or reason.