Communal Holocaust and the Interim Government

From August 16, 1946, there were communal riots on an unprecedented scale which left several thousands dead.
Worst affected areas: Calcutta, Bombay, Noakhali, Bihar, Garhmukteshwar.

CHANGED GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES
• Wavell now eager to bring Congress into Interim Government even if League stayed out.
• Marked shift from earlier British policy of boosting communal forces and denying Congress legitimacy.
• Withdrawal & future Indo‑British ties demanded cooperation with Congress.

INTERIM GOVERNMENT FORMATION (2 SEPTEMBER 1946)
• Congress‑dominated Interim Government under Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Congress refused compulsory grouping.
• Muslim League joined later (26 October 1946) without withdrawing Direct Action call.

MINISTERS OF THE INTERIM GOVERNMENT
1. Jawaharlal Nehru – Vice President; External Affairs & Commonwealth
2. Sardar Patel – Home, Information & Broadcasting
3. Baldev Singh – Defence
4. Dr. John Mathai – Industries & Supplies
5. C. Rajagopalachari – Education
6. C. H. Bhabha – Works, Mines & Power
7. Rajendra Prasad – Agriculture & Food
8. Jagjivan Ram – Labour
9. Asaf Ali – Railways
10. Liaqat Ali Khan (League) – Finance
11. I. I. Chundrigar (League) – Commerce
12. Abdur Rab Nishtar (League) – Communications
13. Ghazanfar Ali Khan (League) – Health
14. Jogendra Nath Mandal (League) – Law

OBSTRUCTIONIST APPROACH OF THE LEAGUE
• Boycotted Constituent Assembly’s first sitting (9 Dec 1946).
• Opposed informal cabinet meetings.
• Objected to Congress appointments.
• Liaqat Ali Khan used Finance portfolio to block Congress ministries.
• League wanted presence only to fight for Pakistan.
• League demanded dissolution of Constituent Assembly.

— BIRTH AND SPREAD OF COMMUNALISM IN INDIA —

WHAT IS COMMUNALISM?
Communalism is the belief that people of different religions have separate and incompatible interests.

TYPES
1. Communal Nationalism – All secular interests seen as same within a religious group.
2. Liberal Communalism – Assumes different religious communities have different secular interests.
3. Extreme Communalism – Claims interests of two communities are naturally incompatible.

REASONS FOR GROWTH OF COMMUNALISM

1. SOCIO‑ECONOMIC CAUSES
• Economic backwardness of Muslims; dominance of big landlords.
• Hindu & Muslim masses shared common culture but elites manipulated differences.
• British & Muslim elites fuelled anti‑Hindu sentiment among emerging Muslim middle class.
• Scarcity of jobs → competition → communal tension.

2. BRITISH POLICY OF DIVIDE & RULE
• Downplayed Arabic–Persian education; promoted English education.
• Turned towards Muslim elite after 1870s to counter Congress.
• Used Sir Syed Ahmed Khan to mobilise Muslim loyalty.
• Encouraged separate electorates → institutionalised communal identity.

3. COMMUNAL INTERPRETATION OF HISTORY
• Ancient = Hindu period; Medieval = Muslim period.
• Projected medieval political conflicts as Hindu–Muslim conflicts.
• Denied composite culture.
• Hindu communalists glorified ancient India; blamed decline on “Muslim rule”.

4. SIDE‑EFFECTS OF SOCIO‑RELIGIOUS REFORM MOVEMENTS
• Wahabi movement, Shuddhi, cow‑protection sabhas created religious hardening.
• Reforms made community boundaries sharper.

5. SIDE‑EFFECTS OF MILITANT NATIONALISM
• Ganapati & Shivaji festivals, cow protection campaigns alienated Muslims.
• Revolutionary oath‑taking before goddesses not relatable to Muslims.
• Lucknow Pact & Khilafat Movement introduced communal bargaining.
• Some Congress leaders uneasy with Khilafat issue.

6. COMMUNAL REACTION OF MAJORITY COMMUNITY
• From 1870s, Hindu elites projected British rule as liberation from “Muslim tyranny”.
• Hindi–Urdu dispute communalised.
• Hindu Sabha (1909), Hindu Mahasabha (1915), RSS (1925) strengthened Hindu communalism.

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Subject: Modern History

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