Jinnah's Dream

Quaid-E-Azam Barrister Mohammad Ali Jinnah - father of a nation of 160 million people. Generally revered across the world as a creator of a nation. In India he is not looked upon by any respect though -even on the official front. His home where he spent half his life not getting any respect - has been converted to a cultural affairs office. His detractors blame him for dividing a nation on no grounds. There wasn't any real demand for a separate nation before he slammed the idea in his people's brains (and no real one even after he did). Half of the people didn't even leave. and the rest left unwillingly - most of them for fear of riots than any aggrement with Jinnah's idea. While his supporters credit him for creating a nation out of scratch, creating a notion of nationhood when none existed. Creating an idea of a separate country on the basis of a separate identity, when no identity really existed. He is revered as the Quaid - the Great Leader.
So what has that got to do with India and its current politics. Indian politicians often refer to his dream- Jinnah's dream. Just after partition when he was asked to comment on India's future, he retorted that it will be further divided and finally disintegrate as a nation. In election campaigns opposition parties often accused governments to be working to fulfill Jinnah's dream - by which they meant its policies would result in the disintegration of the nation. Any policy disagreement on the political front was thought of to be destined to fulfil Jinnah's dream.

One of the foremost proponents of this theory were the Hindutatva ideologues and specifically Bal Thackeray - leader of the hard core extreme rightwing Shiv Sena party. These parties even acquired power riding on the (so called) national solidarity wave they created.

But it seems the clock has turned full circle.

The same parties who used the Hindutva card and claimed that religion was the only common thread holding together these clatter of states with diverse languages, culture, food and even gods are now kicking their fellow Hindus for taking a pie of their jobs.

The Thackerays and the Karunanidhis are fulfilling Jinnah's dream.