The ‘Freedom at Midnight’ series, based on the book of the same name, delves into the tumultuous beginning of independent India. It sheds light on the lesser-known aspects of leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Jinnah, Maulana Azad, and many others.

The British policies aimed to contain the growing mass resistance and demand for independence within Congress. This led to the fragmentation of the subcontinent along religious lines. Initially, Jinnah, a Congressman and advocate for Hindu-Muslim unity, emerged as the biggest obstacle to national unity. His inability to become a mass leader, his reluctance to accept Gandhi’s mass appeal, his ambition for power, and the realisation that he could never lead a united India contributed to his transformation into a communal politician, ultimately dividing the country.

Jinnah’s significance grew only in the mid-1930s. The British strategically used him to counter Congress’s increasing mass resistance and its demand for independence during the world’s preparations for World War II.

Throughout its movement, Congress represented all religions and communities without identifying with any particular faith. This overconfidence led them to believe that Muslims would resist Jinnah’s communalism. However, it was only in the mid-1940s that Congress realised Jinnah’s ability to manipulate and brainwash innocent Muslims.

Until the mid-1940s, the Congress remained optimistic that partition was a distant possibility. However, Congress leaders gradually began to yield, realising the deep-seated hatred instilled in people’s minds by the Muslim League. Patel was the first to give in, followed by Nehru.

Gandhi, on the other hand, remained steadfast in his commitment to the country’s unity until the very end. Despite the threat to his life, he fearlessly visited the communally charged Noakhali, where the Muslim League had perpetrated Hindu-Muslim riots. He went village to village, stopping the riots. This incident demonstrates Gandhi’s remarkable ability to restore peace.

Regrettably, even today, all three countries of the Indian subcontinent—India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh—are plagued by communal politics. These countries are currently grappling with majoritarian communalism.

While Pakistan and Bangladesh are suffering from Muslim majoritarian communalism, India is grappling with Hindu majoritarian communalism under the BJP. The Awami League, whose government was recently overthrown, remains a formidable force against majoritarian Muslim communalism in Bangladesh.

The Congress has consistently stood as a formidable force against communalism in India. Throughout its history, it has played a unique role in resisting both minoritarian Muslim communalism and majoritarian Hindu communalism, both in pre-independent and post-independent India.