Islamia College Peshawar,
July 30, 1940
with that and he thought that it was not enough, and then he went further and said that it is when two Hindu brothers are quarreling, one wants to cut the mother cow into two halves! Now, ladies and gentlemen, I have always very great respect for the religious feelings and sentiments of any community. But if a foremost politician of the type of Mr.Rajagopalacharya should rouse the feelings, the religious feelings to cut the mother cow mo two, it can only be described as a forlorn hope on their part when they have no other cogent argument to advance. Then we are told that it is against Islam!
Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a learned Maulana or Maulvi. Nor do I claim to be learned in theology. But I also know a little of my faith and I am a humble and proud follower of my faith. May I know in the name of Heavens, how is this Lahore resolution against Islam? Why is it against Islam? But that is an argument that has been advanced again by a man of no less a position than Mr. Rajagopalacharya.
Next, we are told that it is not in the interest of Muslims themselves! I say to my Hindu friends, please do not bother about us. We thank you most profusely for pointing out to us our mistake and unwise decision and telling us that it is not in our interests? We are prepared to take the consequences of our considered resolution. Please look after yourselves. The next argument is that it is economically not a practical scheme. I have been watching, and believe me, I tried to read anything that has been said by Hindu leaders anywhere — I may have missed to somewhere — I have not yet heard barring the slogan that economically it is not a practical proposition, because Punjab is a bankrupt province, Sindh is a bankrupt province,
Balochistan is zero. North West Frontier Province is a bankrupt province and, therefore, economically it is not a practicable scheme. Why not? If there is a partition, if there are independent zones, as we are defining, then those zones will get for themselves the revenue direct and I will not go to the center, because there will be no center for India. Why do you bother about this? If the worse comes to the worse, like a sensible man we will cut out coat according to our cloth.
Next, what about the Hindu minorities in the Muslim zones? What about it? What do you suggest? They do no Hindu zones? But I have suggested something. I say that my proposal is that Hindu minority in the Muslim zone must be safeguarded fully as a minority, and I say that the Muslim minority in the Hindu zone must be safeguarded fully as a minority. What do you suggest? Do you suggest as an argument that because the Hindu minority or minorities in the Muslim zones will be minorities, therefore the 90 million of Muslims should remain as a minority in an artificial “ one India” with unitary form of central government, so that you can dominate over them all, including those zones where they are in a solid majority? That is an absurd and very misleading argument, which is advanced in some quarters.
Then we are told — and this is of course not oftcn that is brought out — we are told lastly that if India is divided then the Muslims will run over the whole country and the Hindus will not be safe! My dear friends, you will be at least 200 million Hindus in India, if not more, and the poor Muslims in the North-West zone and the Eastern zone will not be more than 70 millions. Are you afraid that if these 70 millions of Muslims are allowed in their own homelands to fully
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