Read the passage and answer the question:
The British element is gone, but they have left the mischief behind. We do not want to perpetuate that mischief. (Hear, hear). When the British introduced this element they had not expected that they will have to go so soon. They wanted it for their easy administration. That is all right. But they have left the legacy behind. Are we to get out of it or not?
What did Patel say while making an appeal regarding separate electorates?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Separate electorates was a “poison that has entered the body politic of our country.”
Option (1) Made a powerful plea for continuing using separate electorates. — Incorrect. This was B. Pocker Bahadur of Madras, on 27 August 1947. Patel was against separate electorates.
Option (2) Separate electorates was a “poison that has entered the body politic of our country.” — Correct. These were Sardar Patel’s words. For him it was a demand that had turned one community against another, divided the nation, caused bloodshed and led to the tragic partition of the country. “Do you want peace in this land? If so do away with it,” he urged.
Option (3) It was a suicidal demand that would isolate the minorities. — Incorrect. This was the argument of Govind Ballabh Pant: separate electorates would permanently isolate the minorities, make them vulnerable and deprive them of any effective say within the government.
Option (4) Minorities should be interpreted in economic terms. — Incorrect. This was N.G. Ranga, a socialist and peasant leader, for whom the real minorities were the poor and the downtrodden.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.1 The problem with separate electorates … On 27 August 1947, B. Pocker Bahadur from Madras made a powerful plea for continuing separate electorates.… 3.1 The problem with separate electorates … Partition had made nationalists fervently opposed to the idea of separate electorates. They were haunted by the fear of continued civil war, riots and violence. Separate electorates was a ‘poison that has entered the body politic of our country’, declared Sardar Patel. It was a demand that had turned one community against another, divided the nation, caused bloodshed, and led to the tragic partition of the country. ‘Do you want peace in this land? If so do away with it (separate electorates),’ urged Patel. 3.1 The problem with separate electorates … Yet Pant opposed the idea of separate electorates. It was a suicidal demand, he argued, that would permanently isolate the minorities, make them vulnerable, and deprive them of any effective say within the government.… 3.1 The problem with separate electorates … While welcoming the Objectives Resolution, N.G. Ranga, a socialist who had been a leader of the peasant movement, urged that the term minorities be interpreted in economic terms. The real minorities for Ranga were the poor and the downtrodden.…” |