‘Nehru was in a hurry to become PM': Jitendra Singh on Abdullah's remark on partition

Abdullah on Sunday triggered a controversy by suggesting that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were responsible for the partition of India.

Looks like National Conference (NC) patron Farooq Abdullah's comment on Mohamed Ali Jinnah, Jawaharlal Nehru and partition is set to become a national debate. Union Minister Jitendra Singh did not back Abdullah's remark but said that Pandit Nehru was in a hurry to become the Prime Minister of India in 1947.

Abdullah on Sunday triggered a controversy by suggesting that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were responsible for the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and not Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

"He is required to reread history. We have references which indicate that Mahatma Gandhi himself had suggested to Jinnah that if he agrees to withdraw demand of Pakistan's creation, Gandhi would persuade Congress to accept Jinnah as the prime minister of undivided India," Singh told the media when asked about Abdullah's remark.

"But Jinnah wasn't impressed by the suggestion possibly because he felt it wasn't easy for him to gain acceptability as India PM. Nehru was also in hurry to take over as PM. Lot of opportunistic adjustments were done by patriarch of National Conference Sheikh Abdullah," he added.

Speaking at a function at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan in Jammu, Abdullah had earlier said that it was the refusal of the three Congress leaders to accept minority status for the Muslims which led to the Partition of India.

Abdullah added that Jinnah did not want Pakistan in the first place. But Congress' refusal to a special representation for Muslims and Sikhs, Abdullah believed, forced Jinnah to seek a separate nation for Muslims.

Abdullah, known for controversial remarks, had earlier come under fire for his 'PoK belongs to Pakistan' comment.

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