JP’s criticism

Jayaprakash Narayan.

The J.L. Kapur Report noted at page 162, volume 1:

“According to the Times of India , dated February 18, 1948, Ex. 242, Mr. Jayaprakash Narayan said that the people should not distrust the campaign that he had undertaken to draw pointed attention to the weakness of the Central administration:

‘He had nothing to benefit personally, he said, from a frank and free criticism and an over-all estimation of the events leading up to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. He was no believer in fate and was convinced that, if prominent Congress Ministers had not patronised and attended RSS rallies and had warned the youth of the country clearly against joining the organisation and provided other suitable outlets for their energies, Mahatma Gandhi would never have been taken away from us when we most needed him.

‘Even after the bomb was thrown at him during the prayer meeting no strong action was taken, but instead attempts were made to blanket the criminals by officials within the administration, who sabotaged any effort that might have been made to unearth the conspiracy.’”

“He criticised the government for having spokesmen of big businessmen included in the Cabinet. He wanted the communalists and communal saboteurs to be replaced by democratic minded nationalists.

“In the Bombay Chronicle of February 28, 1948, Ex. 243, is given a report of a speech of Mr. Jayaprakash Narayan at Bombay where he demanded the resignation of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, Mr. R.K. Shanmukham Chetty, Sardar Baldev Singh and Mr. C.H. Bhabha. He blamed the Central Cabinet for encouraging communal organisations in the country which resulted in Gandhiji’s murder and demanded the banning of communal organisations.”

JP was clearly referring to Patel’s praise for the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha on January 6, 1948, shortly before the dastardly deed on January 30, 1948.