Albert Einstein

If at first, the idea is not absurd; then, there is no future for it.

Monday, October 26, 2009

THE BHOOT OF JINNAH

Some time back, there was a huge controversy, again, related to Jinnah.
Well I am writing about this because recently there have been a lot of political developments flagged off by the ousting of Jaswant Singh from BJP upon writing a book. Allegedly he wrote some derogatory comments for Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and found Jinnah secular. Sounds very undemocratic, isn't it? After all every individual has got the right to freedom of expression, a fundamental right given by our constitution. The thing to think is that is there anything at all in Jaswant Singh's book that is so derogatory that it called for a disciplinary action??? Recently I got an opportunity to read that book. Personally speaking I didn't find it derogatory at all !!! (May be I don't have the intelligence to understand what is derogatory and what is not !!!). Why is it that a big national party like the BJP comes into limelight again and again over only one issue [Jinnah's bhoot (ghost)]. Is it possible that its not by chance that Jinnah's ghost is haunting the party but that the party finds some premise or the other to get focus out of controversies arising from such issues. Can be either of them. The partition of the nation took place almost 60 years ago and no one was happy about that. But is it justified to fight now over the question of whether a person who is dead was secular or not. How does it make any difference whether Jinnah was secular or not, now?? Even if Jinnah was secular, why can't we digest this?? Can't a secular person commit some mistake at all? Is it that you can't praise a person who allegedly was responsible for our nation's partition?

What's derogatory for some historical figure is a question which can be debated over and over again. Isn't it derogatory to compare L.K.Advani to the Lauh Purush (Iron Man), Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, needless to say that this was self proclaimed by the party itself. If we see Patel's contribution and compare it to Advani's, I don't think that Advani has even done a miniscule fraction of what Patel has done for the unity of our nation.

Well another thought has crossed my mind. Every time Jinnah's bhoot comes in the news, it is associated with a new book. So in a way the possibility cannot be ruled out that such controversies are deliberately created. Jaswant Singh being a senior leader of the party must have known that such a book might trigger another controversy, so why did he write such a book at the first place. Well questions are endless with no answers. Jaswant's book might have failed to get him some literary award and even paved the way of his exit off BJP, but the controversy thereafter has certainly filled up his tijori.

Tip for easy money making - Just write a book about Jinnah and his secularism and wow you could create a bestseller !!!