On August 24, the Viceroy announced
the formation of an Interim national Government to replace the viceroy’s
Executive Council.
Jawaharlal Nehru was the Vice-
president of the Interim Government.
The Muslim League declined to join
it on the ground that it had not been given the right to nominate all the
Muslim members.
After the installation of the
Interim Government, Gandhi was anxious to return to Sevagram, his ashram near
wardha, but the Congress leaders prevailed on him to stay longer in Delhi
because they wanted his advice. So Gandhi stayed on in Delhi.
Then the Muslim League decided to
join the Interim Government and an announcement was made to this effect on
October 15, 1946. Gandhi once again felt free to return to Sevagram. He was
about to leave Delhi when news came of the disturbances in Bengal. There was
widespread communal rioting by the muslins in Calcutta and in the Muslim
majority district of Noakhali in East Bengal, with murder, arson, looting,
forced conversions, forced marriages and abduction.
Gandhi was conducted and
grief-stricken. Instead of returning to Sevagram, he set out for Noakhali to
try to bring peace there.
The communal riots spread. There
were similar riots in Bihar and the Punjab. Thousands were killed and thousands
more were injured. Gandhi was greatly disheartened by these events. He tried
clam and reassure the people.
He walked from village to village
and from house to house carrying his message of peace. Wherever he was there
was peace, at least outwardly. But the general situation in India was
worsening. Rioting spread from the towns to the village. In Bihar the Muslims
were suffering and Gandhi went there to instill courage into the Muslim
minority and to help them in their distress.
The situation in India was so
dreadful that the congress leaders realized that the best way open to them was
to accept Jinnah’s demand for a division of the country and they reluctantly
approved the formation of Pakistan.
Nehru met Gandhi to inform him of
this decision.
Gandhi asked him. “Is there no way
out? No hope of a united India?”
“Bapuji,” he replied,” unity is impossible.
Dreadful as is the idea of a separate country within our borders, we have to
accept it. Otherwise this deadly turmoil will never cease”.
Gandhi bowed his head to hide his despair.