Gandhiji wanted to put an end to Nehru-Patel rivalry: Irfan Habib

In an exclusive interview to ETV Bharat, noted historian Irfan Habib has said that Mahatma Gandhi wanted to resolve the issues between Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel before he died on January 30, 1948. Read the full interview......

Aligarh: Marxist historian Irfan Habib on Saturday stated that Mahatma Gandhi wanted to put an end to the differences between then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the day of his death on January 30, 1948.

In an exclusive interview to ETV Bharat, the eminent historian also made some points on the day when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse and how he, along with right-wing leader Veer Savarkar are portrayed as national heroes today.

Gandhiji had his last conversation with the people of Sindh

Mahatma Gandhi was shot and killed on January 30, 1948. But, before that, he was planning to go to Pakistan and wanted complete normalcy in India. The day he was killed, Gandhi was up at 3:30 am. He wrote a long note describing how Congress can be transformed into Seva Dal. After writing, he gave it to one of his associates to read. On the same day, a lot of people gathered to meet him. Most of them were refugees from the Sindh province. Gandhiji talked to these people. Though Sindh was not affected by riots, still the people of the province were worried.

Nehru supported to give 55 crore rupees aid to Pakistan

While on hunger strike, Gandhiji had promised aid of 55 crore rupees for the Sindh province in Pakistan. This was opposed by Sardar Patel and supported by Jawahar Lal Nehru, both having different opinions on the issue. Gandhiji wanted to resolve the issues between the two. For this, he has scheduled a meeting on the eve of January 30 at 4 pm with Sardar Patel and at 7 pm with Nehru. In the midst of this, Gandhiji first said that he wanted one of them to resign, but later he wanted both of them to work in harmony. He said that both Nehru and Patel would maintain their positions, which means Nehru would continue being the Prime Minister and Sardar Patel would continue to be the deputy Prime Minister.

The day Mahatma Gandhi died

It was five in the evening and Gandhiji had to go for his prayers. Sardar Patel had left after meeting Gandhiji. When Gandhiji left for his prayers, he was shot dead by Nathuram Godse, one of the close associates of right-wing leader Veer Savarkar.

After being shot, Gandhiji fell and his last words were “Hey Ram”, Habib said.

Nathuram Godse portrayed as hero

"The person who was a big critic of Gandhiji is today being portrayed as a hero, the one who apologised six times to Britishers,'' Habib said.

"Savarkar was also put on trial but was saved due to lack of direct evidence. If it would have been a British court, he would have been convicted for sure, but was saved as it was an Indian court," he added.

Habib further questioned as to who financed Nathuram Godse’s travel to Delhi. He believes that a lot of things have remained under the clouds of suspicion.

"Savarkar was not innocent. Sardar Patel criticised RSS because these people celebrated Gandhiji's death by distributing sweets, and they are the ones in power," he said.

When Mohammad Ali Jinnah was grieved by Gandhiji's death

Mohammad Ali Jinnah was also grieved by Gandhiji's sudden demise. Jinnah had said that the Hindu community lost one of its tallest personalities. In his biography, Jinnah has mentioned Mahatma Gandhi as the greatest human.

Habib concluded that we should always remember Gandhiji's philosophy of taking care of the poorest of the poor.