T S Venkatesan
Veteran politician and physician Dr H V Hande’s latest book titled ‘The Rise and Fall of Article 370’ is a must read. This seminal work throws light on the unholy nexus between Jawaharlal Nehru, Lord Mountbatten and Sheikh Abdullah in including Article 370 in the Constitution
Yet another important book has been penned by veteran politician, physician par excellence, Dr H V Hande. His new one titled “The Rise and Fall of Article 370” is a must for those who are interested in the history of Kashmir.
The author dedicated this book to the immoral legend Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee who lived and died (mysteriously) for a united India unfettered by Article 370. Former Chief Justice of India, Justice P Sathasivam and former Governor of Kerala has in his foreword, ”Dr HV Hande’s book relating to Article 370 of the Constitution of Indian is an exemplary work including every aspect. The author has highlighted all the events namely how Article 370 was drafted in the Constituent Assembly against the advice of experts such Dr BR Ambedkar and the Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel”.
The 94-year old author is a Bharatiya Janata Party executive council member. He says in his preface, “A perusal of this compact compendium, will dispel the misconception that might linger in the minds of people at large, as a result of the propaganda by “professional Pseudo Secularists”, against a sane and timely decision taken by the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, to abrogate Article 370”. The author exposes the nexus between the trio Jawaharlal Nehru, Lord Mountbatten and Sheikh Abdullah and the dirty and dubious role played by them in including Article 370 in the Constitution. He says, “Most of the present generation may not be aware of an important letter written by Sardar Patel on 16-10-1949 rebuking Gopalaswamy Iyengar (another culprit in the entire episode) a day before Article 370 (draft article 360A) was introduced in the Constituent Assembly. I have produced a copy of this letter in this book. Several facts like this have been brought to light in this book”. The author laments the fact that in the last several years, adequate publicity has not been given by the media to two important events, namely why Dr. Ambedkar did not introduce Article 370 (Draft Art.370A) even though all other articles were introduced by him. Secondly why Pandit Nehru was forced to dismiss and arrest his ‘bosom’ friend Sheikh Abdullah during the midnight of 8th August 1953 and imprison him for 11 long years (in a hill station in Tamil Nadu). Again why, while a section of media which is raising so much furore today about the “house detention of three ex-Chief Ministers, did absolutely nothing, when a sitting Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah was dismissed, arrested and imprisoned”. The author included the arguments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several others in support of the abrogation of Article 370, statements of Shri Arun Jaitley, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the late Jayalalithaa and Ram Manohar Lohiya.
“He (Ambedkar) bluntly told Sheikh Abdullah, “You are offering wrong advice to Pandit Nehru. By giving special status to Kashmir, you are isolating Kashmir from the mainstream of India. As a result there will be of no Industrial growth or employment opportunities in J and K. I will not be a party to your efforts…you wish India should protect your borders, she should build roads in your area. She should supply you food grains and Kashmir should get equal status to India. The Government of India should have only limited powers and Indian people should have no rights in Kashmir. To give consent to this proposal would be a treacherous thing against the interests of India and I as the Law minister of India will never do it (he quoted it from the Man who saved India by Sen Gupta). In page 24, the author says, “After studying the behaviour of the Maharaja, Sardar Patel, overlooking Pandi Nehru, sent Golwalker Guruji to talk to the Maharaja. Golwalker Guruji flew to Srinagar as Government of India emissary on 17th Oct 1947 ( six days before the Pakistani hordes attacked Kashmir) and convinced Maharaja about the futility of keeping Kashmir as an Independent state, such as a move would make it easy for Pakistan to annex Kashmir”. In page 33, the author says, “Sardar Patel’s timely visit to the Valley on the cold night of 45th November, actually saved the situation because PM Nehru was earlier receiving a totally wrong feedback from his confidante BM Kaul that the situation in Srinagar was well on hand (during the Pak incursion).
The author laments the fact that in the last several years, adequate publicity has not been given by the media to two important events, namely why Dr. Ambedkar did not introduce Article 370 (Draft Art.370A) even though all other articles were introduced by him. Secondly why Pandit Nehru was forced to dismiss and arrest his ‘bosom’ friend Sheikh Abdullah during the midnight of 8th August 1953 and imprison him for 11 long years (in a hill station in Tamil Nadu)
The first to VI chapters deal with insertion and deletion of Article 370 in the Constitution while Chapter VII deals exclusively with the immortal legend Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee. Former CSJ Sathasivam rightly says “Though this is a hand book, the author has accurately mentioned how Article 370 was introduced in the Constituent Assembly, the position of Jammu and Kashmir till this article was deleted by the Parliament and the memorable effect and speeches by Prime Minister and Home Minister. Everyone has to read and note down the historic events from 1950 to 2019 as analysed by Dr. HV Hande”. Dr Hande’s other books are “Kamba Ramayanam”, (priced at Rs 1,199) and “Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Marupiravi” available in Amazon online portal. “Samvidhanada Shilpi Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar” (Rs. 86) and “Ambedkar and the Making of The Indian Constitution” (from the house of Macmillan and Co and priced at Rs 585) He also wrote a biography of late Rajaji, with whom he was closely associated. In 2002, Dr Hande brought out a book, “Our Constitution-Distortions done during Emergency”. It was released by our late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Responding to a call by Mahatma Gandhi, Hande, as a college student joined the Quit India movement. Dr Hande, who is a qualified medical doctor, made his electoral debut in 1964 winning as an MLC from the Madras City Graduates’ Constituency trouncing stalwarts from DMK, Congress and the Swantara party. A year later, he accepted the invitation of Rajaji and joined his party and was with him till his death in 1972. He was two times Health Minister in MGR’s cabinet. The then PM PV Narasimha Rao made him the Chairman of the Family Welfare Committee with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Health Ministers.
(Copies are available at the author’s clinic – Hande Hospital, 44 Lakshmi Talkies Road, Shenoy Nagar, Chennai 600 030. (phone 044- 30584002 Cell: 98408 34862/98408 34865 e-mail handehospital@yahoo.com)
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