THE FIRST TIME WHEN INDIA WAS DIVIDED INTO PIECES, ON RELIGIOUS GROUNDS..

India from the beginning is a country of diversity as we have people from different religions living together with harmony for many years. but for nearly 200 years, the people of India lived under British rule. Just because of one strategy, ‘Divide and Rule.’ 

The core element of ‘Diversity in India’ was Religion. Before India was cut into pieces by Britishers, The population was divided into three major religious groups. Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. So the strategy was to make them fight with each other instead of the British crown.

As we all know that karma gives no shit, this strategy of Britishers didn’t last long. In the late ’30s, the magic of Mahatma Gandhi was working on Indian people. Instead of fighting with each other, now they were fighting for freedom. That’s when Britishers threw their trump card. 

In 1935, Britain passed the GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT. It gave Indian Provinces a new political structure while still under the authority of the British Crown. The Act set up local governments with dedicated seats for representatives from religious groups including Hindus got General seats, along with Sikhs and Muhammadans. (Muslims)

This Trump card worked as the Indians right after that Act passed, became Hindus & Muslims again and the violence began in the country. Indians again started to fight with each other instead of fighting against Britishers. It was all part of the British ‘Divide and Rule’ strategy.

After Setting up the Government of India Act in 1935, Very first of the Indian election took place in winters of 1936-37. It was called ‘Provincial Elections.’ British had divided the country into 11 provinces, where people from different religions and communities were living.



LIST OF ELEVEN PROVINCES

Ø Madras

Ø Central Province (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra)

Ø Bihar

Ø Orissa

Ø United Provinces

Ø Bombay Presidency

Ø Assam

Ø Sindh



As per the government of India Act, there were two parties based on religious grounds that took part in Provincial Elections. Hindu majority party named ‘INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS’ was led by Jawaharlal Nehru. Another one was ‘ALL INDIA MUSLIM LEAGUE’ led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The Legislative Assembly elections for 11 provinces held on 1583 seats. The results were quite shocking. Nehru and Congress won over 707 legislative seats, while Jinnah and the Muslim League only won 106 seats. Other Locally formed parties and Independent candidates won over 772 seats.

The issue began when the Majority of Muslims voted for other smaller parties rather than aligning with their National Political Identity. Without majority representation in new governments, Jinnah worried that the Muslim population was increasingly vulnerable to oppression by Hindu Leadership. Taking advantage of Hindu Muslim riots happening back then, Jinnah expressed his concerns in a speech to the Muslim league. He said that ‘We have learned many lessons. We are now, therefore, very apprehensive and can trust nobody.’

This was a striking turn for a man who had once been an ambassador for Hindu-Muslim Unity…

Just after defeating in Provincial elections, Jinnah Shifted his focus. He started to prey on what Britishers did many years ago. There were two divisions already, He just has to Rule on any of them. As he was leading the Muslim majority party, he started spreading propaganda regarding how the Hindu majority would not allow Muslims to live peacefully and shove the fear in their heads. Just after that, he called for an Independent Nation of Pakistan, in which Muslims would be in majority. He even warned Muslims that ‘United India means slavery for Muslims.’

This time, Muslims relied around Jinnah’s new focus on Pakistan and his call for direct actions. Jinnah asked for Muslims to strike and show Unity and their demand for an Independent State. Jinnah’s provoking speeches made Muslims think that their existence is at stake in this country and Hindus are their biggest enemies. In between all this, another tragic turn came.

A Rally in Calcutta, which was home to both Hindus and Muslims, turned violent. The rally, which was against Britishers turned into Communal riots. Thousands of people died. There were dead bodies on every corner of the city and people were scared more than ever because something like that never happened before. We know this incident by the name of ‘The Great Calcutta Killings of 1946.’

Just at this time of civil unrest, Britain announced its Withdrawal from India.

As India was again falling into pieces by the communal riots, Viceroy Lord Mountbatten came into the scene. He broke a deal between Nehru and Jinnah and organized a sweet exit for Britain. That was the moment when Nehru and Jinnah both agreed to the partition of India along religious lines.

Jinnah would get Pakistan, the new nation that he believed would protect Muslims from oppression. Nehru, fearing more religious violence agreed to the plan.

But this is not how India got its partition. The guy behind that was a British lawyer named Cyril Radcliffe. This guy never in his life been to India and was given less than 40 days to draw up the borders based on outdated maps and census data.

Radcliffe kept the Region with the Muslim league’s political base in India instead of including it within the Pakistani borders. These borders left most economic centers like Delhi, Bombay, and Calcutta within India leaving the future Pakistan at an economic disadvantage.

To make matters worse, the British unexpectedly moved the date of their exist up by 10 months. They said, “It was important to get two countries launched and on their way because the longer you keep them hanging, the greater the difficulties that arrive.”

But the reality was entirely different. Britain was beaten up badly in the 2nd world war and no longer had resources to continue with control over India and so, Britain rushed out of India and finally gave India its Independence on the 15th of August 1947. 


Just after getting the freedom by dividing one country into religious grounds, Nehru and Jinnah were supposed to ease the tensions between Hindus and Muslims; both of the leaders were barging for power. Origin of India and Pakistan was marked by horrific bloodshed.

The partition of India led to violent riots and mass migration along with newly created borders. fearing religious prosecutions, many Muslims fled to Pakistan. While Hindus and Sikhs moved across the borders in India. But, almost 1 million people never made it to their destinations and almost 14 million displaced.

The rivalry between India and Pakistan has persisted over 70 years but it is important to remember where it all began. A British Strategy that was designed to create a religious divide between people of One Nation.

I think that’s it for now. Now you know what was happened the last time when ‘Divide and Rule’ was used. Now, you should take a stand.