New Delhi, Jul 27 (UNI) Veteran journalist Saeed Naqvi in his just released book ‘Being the Other: The Muslims in India’ has suggested that a reappraisal of the role of tall figures of the Congress in the partition of India should take place. Mr Naqvi says that although there have been many versions of the various factors that led to the partition of India, the story is all incomplete. For example, he says Transfer of Power Papers published in Britain in 1983 was a must read to get a complete picture of what really transpired but it was surprising that the release of the Papers did not excite scholars of the subcontinent. Mr Naqvi refers to the conclusion of Maulana Azad in his book 'India wins Freedom' that it were his colleague in the Congress Working Committee who were more eager for partition. Azad, says Mr Naqvi, has argued in his book that until the very end, Jinnah was merely using Pakistan as a ‘bargaining counter.’ The Maulana was vocal and vehement in his opposition to partition and tried to persuade Nehru and Patel to stop it. ‘’The Maulana was pained that that Patel had now become an even greater supporter of the two-nation theory than Jinnah. Jinnah may have raised the flag of partition but now the real flag bearer was Patel,’’ Azad said. Mr Naqvi said that Maulana Azad was disappointed at seeing his friend Nehru, whom he considered the man of principles, abandon the idea of a united India , a multicultural India which was so dear to both Nehru and him. The writer says that though Nehru was at heart a secular person, but when it came to political interest, secularism was a negotiable project for him. Mr Naqvi also quotes socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia to support his proposition that the leading Congress leaders of the time were in tearing hurry to accept partition and they had no time to consider precautionary measures that would be required to maintain law and order. He says Lohia writes in his Book 'Gulitymen of Partition' that the Congress leaders’’ paid to no heed to Gandhiji’s wish to let Muslim League govern the country by itself, because they were far too eager to do the business of governing themselves. ‘’ Such was the tearing hurry to accept partition that the Congress leaders had no time to consider precautionary measures that would be required to maintain minimal law and order, says Mr Naqvi in the book released this week at a function here. The programme was compered by former BBC Bureau chief Mark Tully and attended among others by veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, former diplomat and writer Pawan Kumar Verma, celebrated photographer Raghurai, former Union Minister Arif Mohammad Khand and a number of other intellectuals, journalists and writers. Mr Naqvi in the book, and also in his remarks at the release function contended that the chasm between Hindus and Muslims engineered by the British continued after partition and a consistent ‘’othering ‘’ of Muslims had taken place in Independent India. But his views were hotly contested by former Union Minister Arif Mohammad Khan. The former Union Minister said that it is only the elite that felt this alienation and not the Muslim masses. He also blamed the Muslim clerics and other leaders for ‘’othering’’ . ‘’When Shah Bano judgement happened, these leaders were up in arms asserting that they will not tolerate any tampering their ‘’ distinctive Islamic identity.’’ Mr Khan, who had strongly opposed Rajiv Gandhi’s bid to undo the SC judgement which ensured alimony to divorced Muslim women, said Muslims were not othered by others. ‘’It is The Muslim leaders who by their reaction to the Shah Bano case announced that ‘’they were the other.’’ He said. Former diplomat and writer Pawan Kumar Verma also expressed disagreement with Mr Naqvi’s views. More UNI NAZ SV 1258