Skip to content Skip to navigation

The First Indian Leader trying to Prevent Partition of India

Please look at the 1946 photo from the London Parliamentary Archive --- the individual standing, with left face seen in the photograph, with clenched fists on the table, is Gopinath Bardoloi. Please look at the scare on the face of the Member of the British Cabinet Mission.


Partition of India in August 1947 is an unforgettable tragedy where a million innocent people lost their lives and belongings.


British Administration put up two plans, one after the other, for Partition of India. The first plan, known as "Cabinet Mission Plan" (AKA "Grouping Plan") was presented by a British Cabinet Mission in March 1946. One Indian leader, Gopinath Bardoloi, known as "Gopinath of Assam", thwarted that plan with help from Mahatma Gandhi. Some Indian leaders, led by Jawaharlal Nehru (who became very angry at "Gopinath of Assam") did not mind partition of India in order to grab political power.


A second plan to partition India was forwarded by Bengali leaders in April 1947 who wanted to dissect India to carve out an independent Bengal --- this ignonimous plan was known as "Suhrawardy-Sarat Bose Plan".


One year after the British Cabinet Mission Plan, the British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, arrived India with the third proposal known as "Mountbatten Plan" in June -July 1947. Fully supported by Nehru, India was partioned on August 15, 1947 by the Mountbatten Plan. Subsequent communal riots claimed millions of lives and unimaginable, unforgettable suffering.


If this matter is discussed with a verified time-line, the truth will come out that "Gopinath of Assam" was the only Indian leader besides Mahatma Gandhi who stopped Partition of India ---- proving the true "Assamese Grit" that is needed by the Assamese again today for the survival of Assam.


Himendra Thakur
Boston, USA


Photo has been taken from this page.

Comments

Pallavi Barua's picture

Today, Assam has Nehru Stadium, Nehru Park, etc. These have been named after a person who didn't provide any helping hand to Gopinath Bordoloi when he was fighting against Assam being clubbed with erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)in 1947. The only thing which mattered to Pt. Nehru was the Prime Minister's chair. On assumption of the office of the PM, Nehru thought of using Assam as a dumping yard for refugees from erstwhile East Bengal (now Bangladesh). Here is an excerpt from a letter which Nehru wrote to Gopinath Bordoloi, "...If Assam adopts an attitude of incapacity to solve the refugee problem, then the claims of Assam for financial help obviously suffer."
Ajoy Warisa's picture

How is assam different from bangladesh now? 38 years of infiltration - what is left of assam? when will New Delhi awake from its slumber?
Anwar A. Ansari's picture

By accepting the Cabinet Mission Plan unanimously and unconditionally, Jinnah and his Muslim League had drawn a curtain to all that had gone before. Then Indian National Congress gave its approval, not unanimous, And then, according to Abul Kalam Azad, happened something that changed the course of history - Nehru's repudiation of the agreement by declaring "we are unfettered by any agreement". By unanimously approving the Cabinet Mission Plan, Jinnah and his Muslim League had put a lid on everything past. I have read a lot of books and articles on the subject of 'Partition of India'. None, repeat none, carries this episode of Nehru's 10 July press conference. And all books and articles give quotations from Abul Kalam Mazda's 'India Wins Freedom'. Again, none, repeat none, gives the passages that I have given in my article, below. Why? Abul Kalam Azad, giving account of the A.I.C.C.'s passing the resolution to approve the Cabinet Mission Plan, says: "Now happened one of those unfortunate events which changed the course of history. On 10 July, Jawaharlal held a Press Conference in Bombay in which he made a statement which in normal circumstances might have passed almost unnoticed, but in the existing atmosphere of suspicion and hatred, set in train a most unfortunate series of consequences. Some Press representatives asked him whether with the passing of the Resolution by A.I.C.C., the Congress had accepted the Plan in toto, including the composition of the interim Government. "Jawaharlal stated in reply that Congress would enter the Constituent Assembly 'completely unfettered by agreements and free to meet all situations as they arise.' (Inverted comas of the author) "Press representatives further asked if this meant that the Cabinet Mission Plan could be modified. "Jawaharlal replied emphatically that the Congress had agreed only to participate in the Constituent Assembly and regarded itself free to change or modify the Cabinet Mission Plan as it thought best. "I must place on record that Jawaharlal's statement was wrong. It was not correct to say that Congress was free to modify the Plan as it pleased. ................................................................. These matters could not be changed unilaterally by Congress without the consent of other parties to the agreement. "The Working Committee felt that it faced a dilemma. On the one side, the prestige of the Congress President was at stake. On the other, the settlement ....... was in danger. To repudiate the President's statement would weaken the organization but to give up the Cabinet Mission Plan would ruin the country. Finally, we drafted a Resolution which made no reference to the Press Conference but reaffirmed the decision of the A.I.C.C. "His Excellency the Viceroy, with the approval of His Majesty's Government, has invited the President of the Congress to take proposals for the immediate formation of an interim Government and the President of the Congress has accepted the invitation. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru will shortly visit New Delhi to discuss this proposal with His Excellency the Viceroy." A few passages further, Abul Kalam Azad says: My comments: Lord Wavell, the Viceroy, had earlier declared that whichever party first accepted the plan, would be invited to form the Interim Government. That gutless Viceroy went back on his promise and bypassing Jinnah in blatant deceit invited the President of the Congress instead to form the Interim Government, who had already repudiated the Cabinet Mission Plan and whose catalogue of mistakes had ruined the unity of India. The gutless, supine and myopic leadership of the Indian National Congress could not see woods from the trees and, in all lunacy, went on to pass a resolution which begins unashamedly by shoving all the blame on the Muslim League. They were so blinded by their selfish interest that they could not see the impending catastrophe by not calling a spade a spade and, as Abul Kalam Azad has recorded, completely omitted even the mention of the bone of contention: the notorious 10 July Nehru Press Conference. The imbecile leadership of Indian National Congress came out in full force to cover up the Himalayan blunder of Nehru rather than rectifying it, which blunder according to Azad changed the course of history (of India). What a farce! What a farce!! The display of lunacy did not stop there. Lord Wavell, in utter insanity, called upon Jawaharlal Nehru, who had repudiated the Cabinet Mission Plan agreement, to form the Interim Government of India. And then all those lunatics, Congress leadership, Wavell and all, went on to blame Mr. Jinnah for the partition. What hypocrisy! What hypocrisy!! It is not Jinnah who brought about the partition of India; it is the duo of the gutless, spineless, unashamed Jawaharlal Nehru and the self-opinionated, egoistic Lord Mountbatten (now in control) who brought about the partition and the destruction upon India. These two demagogues, Nehru and Mountbatten, preferred the ruination of the country over the false prestige of the Congress President. (It still remains an enigma that Nehru had earlier gone to Malaysia and met Mountbatten, the Supreme Commander. Mountbatten, a soldier in uniform on active war service, then made a momentous political statement of great significance by calling Nehru “the future Prime Minister of India”.) Going by the account of events given by Azad that changed the course of history, there is only one single reason of the disastrous partition of India: The display of Nehru's obnoxious & foul diplomacy at the time!!! And the Indian National Congress going along with it. Thus, united India was sacrificed at the altar of false prestige of the President of Indian National Congress. Events have proved Gopinath was a shortsighted man. Anwar Ansari, Harrow, Middlesex, England.
Himjyoti Talukdar's picture

Is somewhere mentioned that the person addressing the meeting is Gopinath Bordoloi? According to few sources He's Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Request author to clarify the issue with sources. 

Pages

Add new comment

Random Stories

Polio immunization begins in Siang

18 Jan 2016 - 9:01am | HK Roy
East Siang Deputy Commissioner Isha Khosla inaugurated the Pulse polio immunization booth at the General Hospital, Pasighat in presence of JDHS Dr. Kabang Lego, DMO Dr. M Perme, Hospital...

Chief Minister Pema Khandu

Khandu stakes claim to form govt

16 Jul 2016 - 1:48pm | AT News
Hours after he was elected as the CLP leader in Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu staked claimed to form the new Government in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday. Immediately after the CLP meeting in...

Anandita, Nitul top HS science, Mukul and Nikita did it in arts, commerce

14 May 2008 - 9:00pm | editor
Anandita Bora of Dibrugarh Salt Brook Academy and Nitul Khataniar of Cotton College have jointly toppped the Higher Secondary examination in science while the same position in arts and commerce...

New album ‘Akash’ released

24 Apr 2017 - 8:15am | Prantik Deka
Recently, a new audio album with some fabulously composed tunes, entitled ‘Akash’ was formally released in a function held at the Auditek Sudio, by eminent artistes and musicians - Kula Barua, JP Das...

Other Contents by Author

Poaching refuses to die down in Kaziranga. Another one-horned rhino was shot dead in the famed Kaziranga National Park on. The carcass was spotted on Tuesday morning at Burhapahar. But the poachers failed to take away the horn. Talking to assamtimes, officials said that there were reports of firing from the Burhapahar range where forces launched an operation against the poachers. Cartridges of the AK series of rifles and 303 ammunition was recovered from the site. Meanwhile, joint operations are going on to nab the poachers.
Dudhnoi Raas Puja Committee has complete preparations to celebrate Raas festival with fifteen-day programme.People from various districts are taking part in the festival. Bidyut Sarkar
To accelerate efforts and fight against the deadly disease HIV/AIDS, the World Aids Day was observed at Pasighat General Hospital. To mark the event, the doctors along with staffs, health assistants, NGOs and ANM trainees took out a rally and moved around the township with slogans and banners ‘Stop AIDS, keep the promise’. It was formally flagged-off by the DC In-charge Nidhi Srivastava amid huge gathering inside the hospital campus. The celebration is symbolically a call to enhance social protection mechanism and a symbol of solidarity and support towards the people living with HIV, stated Srivastava during the observation. She while advising the participants to renew the...
In ancient times the Hindu Society begging for mendicants and their students . The students were allowed to beg for their teacher. But they were never called beggars. They were received with highest respect and it remained tradition from age’s ago. The common house people felt lucky to receive them . But later these mendicants got greedy and degenerated and wanted to make out of begging.Now in India begging is a fashion , a compulsion, a privilege and a recreation. The number of beggars is very much larger in our country than other countries. Our heads hang down in shame when we read description of our country India given by the foreigners in a hateful manner. To westerners, India is...
A day long MATRI SAMMELAN (Mothers Meet) was held recently on 25th November 2012 at Donyi Polo Vidya Niketan School campus, Pasighat, under the aegis of Arunachal Shiksha Vikas Samiti (ASVS) the state chapter of Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, New Delhi. The day long Sammelan was proposed for the awakening of women in every sectors of life. Around 350 delegates (mothers) from in and around the town attended the unique programme which infact is a routine function that is observed every year by the organization (ASVS). Hosts of dignitaries, which included among others, were Ms. Nidhi Srivastava (IAS), Additional Deputy Commissioner East Siang, Dr.Yater darang, Eye Specialist...
Journalists’ Forum Assam and AIDS Prevention Society have organized a media orientation program on HIV/AIDS on November 30 at Guwahati Press Club. The program, where Dr SI Ahmed is expected to join as a resource person, will begin at 11 AM.Dr Ahmed will give an overview of the HIV infection ratio around the globe and also highlight the risk factors for the residents of Assam and northeast India. Though the annual infection to the deadly virus is decreasing because of massive publicity and public awareness program by the authority, related NGOs and the media, there is definitely risk factor, asserted the HIV/AIDS expert.Member-journalists are requested to participate in the...
Assam Human Rights Commission on Tuesday urged introduction of human rights in the syllabus of primary and secondary school and at the college level. Delivering the Second Surendra Nath Sarma memorial lecture Assam HRC Chairman Justice (Retd) Aftab Hussain Saikia said that there could be no protection of human rights if people were not adequately educated in this regard.
Bodo people on Tuesday staged demonstration in Delhi demanding a judicial probe into the recent riot in BTAD areas alleging that immigrants from the neighbouring Bangladesh have been mongering trouble in these districts. The demand was made at a huge rally near the Parliament House by hundreds of people who staged protest under the banner of the Coordination Committee of Indigenous Tribal National Organisations. They sought a permanent solution of the problem and made a plea for grant of statehood to Bodoland through peaceful political dialogue and granting of autonomy to all indigenous tribals of Assam under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva extended some assistance to the flood...
Dudhnoi Expo has started at Dudhnoi from November 20. Apart from local and Indian exhibitors, participants from various foreign countries are also taking part in the event. Bidyut Sarkar, Dudhnoi