The danger of counterfactuals

The danger of counterfactuals

Context:

Alleging that the Congress was responsible for the partition of the country, and for the division of Jammu and Kashmir is to distort a very complex history.

What has happened?

• Recently, Prime Minister Modi has blamed Congress for the disasters that track Indians since 1947.
• One of the troubling allegations has been that the Congress was responsible for the partition of the country, and for the division of Jammu and Kashmir.

Different Viewpoints about the Partition

• Partition is one of the most debated issues among historians.
• Most scholars agree that the causes of Partition can be traced to the turn of the 19th century.
• The politicisation of religious identities was one of the important causes. Colonial policies gave an added fillip to this politicisation through group representation. By early 20th century this led to communal violence.
• Another group of historians focuses on the role of elites in the making of independent nation states. Elites proceeded to tap religious identities, forge a constituency, and mobilise struggles for independence and for a separate state.
• However, it is very difficult to discern one reason for the Partition.

Conclusion:

• The Partition teaches us that the politicisation of religious identities can be dangerous.
• This inevitably lead to devastation.
• Yet, till today, communal organisations continue to trigger the brutalisation of social and political identities and creation of divides