Practicing Success
Who among the following leaders made a powerful plea to continue separate electorates in Independent India? |
Begum Aizaas Rasul Hansa Mehta B. Pocker Bahadur N.G. Ranga |
B. Pocker Bahadur |
The correct answer is Option (3) → B. Pocker Bahadur On 27 August 1947, B. Pocker Bahadur from Madras made a powerful plea for continuing separate electorates. Minorities exist in all lands, argued Bahadur; they could not be wished away, they could not be “erased out of existence”. The need was to create a political framework in which minorities could live in harmony with others, and the differences between communities could be minimised. This was possible only if minorites were well represented within the political system, their voices heard and their views taken into account. Only separate electorates would ensure that Muslims had a meaningful voice in the governance of the country. The needs of Muslims, Bahadur felt, could not be properly understood by non-Muslims; nor could a true representative of Muslims be chosen by people who did not belong to that community. |