Gandhiji believed that Jinnah would never get Pakistan until the British made Pakistan and gave it to him. Gandhiji had lost after persuading his comrades, the British would never do this, as long as the majority of the Congress stood against it. The decision of partition is in the hands of the Congress, not the Viceroy.
Congress can stop it if it wants. Tell the British to leave. Leave it as it is, leave it as it is. Whatever happens behind them, we will see. Will suffer If fire breaks out across the country, then let it burn, the country will shine like a kundan by doing penance in this fire, let the country remain unbroken.
Gandhiji felt that if the British government and the Congress spent some time patiently and India's independence was postponed for a few days, then the partition of India could be stopped. That is why when Gandhiji spoke to Mountbatten for the first time, Gandhiji repeatedly told him- 'Bharat will not break, will not bite. If rivers of blood flow, they should flow.'
On 31 March 1947, Gandhiji said in a public statement- 'If the Congress is ready for Partition, it will happen only after my death. I will not let the partition of India happen for life.' When the interim government proved to be a complete failure and Jinnah was ready to give up any stubbornness of Pakistan, Gandhiji suggested to the Viceroy that he should give the entire government to Jinnah in place of Jawaharlal.
Mountbatten press briefer Alan Campbell Johnson wrote - 'Gandhi made a surprising proposal to solve the whole problem. That was to dissolve the present cabinet and invite Jinnah to form a fully Muslim cabinet.'
Mountbatten asked- 'What will be Jinnah's reaction?
Gandhi replied- 'Jinnah would say, this is a trick of a sly Gandhi.
Mountbatten asked- 'And wouldn't he be right?'
Gandhi said- 'No. I am saying it from my heart.'
On this Mountbatten said- 'If you can get the formal approval of Congress on this proposal, then……. I am also ready to consider.'
Moseley has written this incident in this way- 'Gadhiji met Mountbatten continuously for two days and laid a plan before Mountbatten on the second day. Such was the plan that Wavell would cry upon seeing it. His plan was that the impasse between the Congress and the Muslim League could be easily resolved. The Viceroy needed that Mr. Call Jinnah and entrust him with the task of forming the government. Only Muslims should remain in this government or both Hindus and Muslims, it should be left to Jinnah's will. Apart from the Viceroy's veto, this government should be completely free to govern as it wishes. The Viceroy immediately replied that the plan was very attractive and that he would consider it sympathetically, if Congress also found it practical.
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Moseley has blamed the failure of this plan on the Viceroy. He writes- 'Soon after the meeting, Mountbatten and his officers began killing the plan because they believed that the plan could not be implemented. This was done so well that very soon Gandhi announced that he would no longer take part in talks with the Viceroy, only advising on the affairs of the Congress.'
The country started swinging in hope and despair
Most of the Congress Hindu leaders like Gandhi, Nehru and Patel were against the partition of India. Nehru was probably still confused about the partition. He felt that the partition of India could be prevented with the help of the nationalist Muslims of the Congress. They were not ready to accept the fact that most of the Congress Muslim leaders did not believe in the politics of Nehru-Patel and Gandhi.
Once Vallabhbhai Patel said with laughter but with great sadness that- 'There is only one national Muslim left in the Congress and that is Jawaharlal Nehru. Some people like Rajaji Rajagopalachari thought better that India should be partitioned on a logical basis than complicating the issue of India's independence by getting into unnecessary trouble. Ghanshyamdas Birla, one of the biggest industrialists of India at that time, who had been providing money and resources to the big leaders of the Congress for the freedom struggle for a long time, also agreed with Rajaji's views.
Ghanshyamdas Birla requests Nehru to accept partition
Ghanshyamdas Birla wrote a letter to Nehruji, suggesting him to accept the demand for partition- 'If a partner is not satisfied in a common business, then he must get the right of separation. Partition must be rational but how can partition itself be opposed……. If I was a Muslim, Pakistan would never have asked for it or would have taken it. Because after partition Islamic India will be very poor state which will have neither iron nor coal. This is a matter for the thinking of Muslims. I am sure that if you agree to give Pakistan, Muslims will never accept it. Accepting them or not is a matter of later, for the time being our opposition to the demand of Pakistan will only increase the thirst of Pakistan in the minds of Muslims.'
Partition is the only way
Edwina, wife of Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, visited the riot-hit areas of Punjab in the summer of 1947. In hospitals and riot-ravaged villages, he saw scenes of communal brutality - hand-cut children, pregnant women with stomach-cuts, the only child left in the family! ..... she firmly believes that as her husband and partner are right, partition is the only way.