Mahamed Ali Jinnah, founding father of Pakistan and responsible,although not solely for the partition of the undivided India, has engineered posthumously yet another break-up.
This time he's pushed the Bharatiya Janata Party into a partition mode. Jaswant Singh, a veteran BJP leader & one of the recent converts to the rebels camp,- the only one to be pampered with prestigious chairmanship of Parliament's Public Accoung Commitee (PAC) even after his rebellion, has added fuel to the dying ambers of Jinnah controversy that nearly burnt L K Advani's political career.
This time Jaswant has revisited partition history and Jinnah's 'innocent' role in it in his latest book. Not without disastarous consequences,though.
For a national party like the BJP what caught everyone by surprise was the incredible speed with which it stepped. This is especially more remarkable after a killing Lok Sabha polls.The party telephonically booted out Jaswant.
As he got bounced from the the party, Jaswant ruefully pondered over what he got as a reward for after serving it for more than 3 decades. His appreciation of Jinnah servedas the proverbial last straw), there was more in store for the Rajasthan leader. His book has been banned by the Gujarat Chief Minister Nanrendra Modi who thinks of himself as the self-appointed custodian of the image of Sardar Patel. The State Government claimed Singh's book tarnishes the image of the original Sardar of India. How could Modi and Advani half-mockingly hailed by many as the chhote sardars" tolerate a publication finding fault with the Iron Man of India.
Well, politics apart, Jinnah's Gujarat connection is quite known. His father Zinabhai/ઝીણાભાઈ (from whose name Mahmad Ali drew his last name 'Jinnah') belonged to Paneli in Kathiawad, few kms. away from birth place of Gandhi. Though born in Karachi, Mahmad Ali was well versed with his Pitrubhasha/ Fathertongue. Here is the sample of how good he was even at written Gujarati.
The page below (from iconic Gujaraty Monthly 'Visami Sadi', May, 1916) depicts answers of some simple questions in Mahmad Ali's own handwritings. Yes, he signed as માહમદ અલી ઝીણા / Maahmad Ali Zina in Gujarati. The column is titled 'Dil no ekrar' (hearty confession).
The page roughly translates as:
Admirable virtue of a Man : Independence
Admirable Virtue of a Woman : Loyality
Success in life, according to you : Securing love from people
Favourite recreation : Horse-riding
Favourite flower : Lily
Favourite writer: Shakespear
Favourite book: Monte cresto
Motto: Never get disppointed
The page can be found at http://www.gujarativisamisadi.com
(On home page Index, click Shirshak and in the long list of titles, click on the first Dil No Ekrar)
