NCERT Module Blames Jinnah, Congress and Mountbatten for India’s Partition
New Delhi, Aug 16: A special NCERT module released to mark Partition Horrors Remembrance Day has identified Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Congress leadership and then Viceroy Lord Mountbatten as the main forces behind the Partition of India in 1947.
The module notes that Partition was “not inevitable” but the result of “wrong ideas.” It highlights the Lahore Resolution of 1940, where Jinnah argued that Hindus and Muslims were distinct communities, and traces how his demand, Congress’ acceptance, and Mountbatten’s hasty implementation culminated in the division of the country.
Mountbatten, it says, committed a “major blunder” by advancing the transfer of power from June 1948 to August 1947, leaving little time for preparations. Boundary demarcation by Sir Cyril Radcliffe was rushed, leading to chaos where millions were unsure whether they were in India or Pakistan even days after Independence.
The module also records Jinnah’s own admission that he never expected to see Pakistan in his lifetime. It cites Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s remark that Partition was like “bitter medicine” to prevent civil war, while Mahatma Gandhi opposed it but refrained from resisting Congress’ decision violently. Nehru, it adds, called Partition “bad” but “unavoidable.”
It further observes that post-Partition, Kashmir emerged as a new challenge for India’s foreign policy, with some countries continuing to support Pakistan and pressure India on the issue.
NCERT has prepared two supplementary modules — one for Classes 6–8 and another for Classes 9–12 — designed for projects, posters, discussions, and debates. Both open with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2021 message declaring August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, recalling the displacement and killings of millions during Partition.
The secondary-stage module links Partition to Muslim leaders’ push for a separate identity rooted in “political Islam,” describing Jinnah as the “able lawyer-leader” of that movement.
