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Very interesting. This is an article that was published in TOI in 2002 and is about an episode described in a 1965 book about Morarji Desai. Apparently, the British accused Morarji Desai of bias during riots in Godhra in 1928 and the subsequent sequence of events eventually resulted in him becoming the Prime Minister of India!
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Godhra-was-a-turning-point-in-Morarjis-life/articleshow/2597074.cms
mumbai: while the country watched with horror as godhra burned, old-timers recalled that this town in gujarat is no stranger to communal riots. in fact, a carnage which erupted in godhra more than 70 years ago had a profound impact on the life of former prime minister morarji desai.
in 1928, desai was the deputy collector of godhra, a post from which he resigned after the riots. a biography of the late pm, written by veteran journalist d.f. karaka, reveals that the british administration wanted desai to lay the blame for the disturbances at the door of the majority community. unwilling to comply, desai quit the service and joined the freedom struggle.
morarji , which was published by the times of india press in 1965, carries a detailed account of the godhra incident. desai told his biographer that the district collector, one mr hartshone, was evidently partial and unfairly wanted to blame the hindus for the riot. interestingly, the assistant collector h.v.r. iengar, who later became governor of the reserve bank of india, stood by desai in the subsequent court hearing.
the trial court judge millard, who was deputed as special magistrate for this case, apparently observed that desai was siding with the hindus. in the course of the trial, desai was cross-examined for an entire day by defence counsel i.i. chundrigar, who later became pakistan's prime minister. ``but he could not find a flaw in my evidence,'' desai has been quoted as saying.
desai also criticised the district superintendent of police, a mr ziauddin, for his role in the affair.
when the case went to the sessions court in appeal, the sessions judge exonerated desai of all the strictures that millard had passed against him. desai's name was thus cleared of the allegation that he was anti-muslim. but enraged by the events, desai demanded a transfer.
when this request was denied, he went on leave for four months until he was posted as personal assistant to the collector of ahmedabad. hartshone then brought pressure on the bureaucracy to institute a departmental inquiry against desai. this was completed in april 1930, and resulted in a sharp demotion. this proved the last straw, and desai resigned.
the rest, of course, is history. desai plunged into the freedom struggle, met mahatma gandhi and returned to the government in 1937--this time as a minister. but he always maintained that godhra had proved to be a turning point in his life.
In the case of Modi too, the British were the leaders in vilifying him.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Godhra-was-a-turning-point-in-Morarjis-life/articleshow/2597074.cms
Godhra was a turning point in Morarji's life
Dilip Chaware,TNN | Mar 3, 2002, 11.17 PM ISTmumbai: while the country watched with horror as godhra burned, old-timers recalled that this town in gujarat is no stranger to communal riots. in fact, a carnage which erupted in godhra more than 70 years ago had a profound impact on the life of former prime minister morarji desai.
in 1928, desai was the deputy collector of godhra, a post from which he resigned after the riots. a biography of the late pm, written by veteran journalist d.f. karaka, reveals that the british administration wanted desai to lay the blame for the disturbances at the door of the majority community. unwilling to comply, desai quit the service and joined the freedom struggle.
morarji , which was published by the times of india press in 1965, carries a detailed account of the godhra incident. desai told his biographer that the district collector, one mr hartshone, was evidently partial and unfairly wanted to blame the hindus for the riot. interestingly, the assistant collector h.v.r. iengar, who later became governor of the reserve bank of india, stood by desai in the subsequent court hearing.
the trial court judge millard, who was deputed as special magistrate for this case, apparently observed that desai was siding with the hindus. in the course of the trial, desai was cross-examined for an entire day by defence counsel i.i. chundrigar, who later became pakistan's prime minister. ``but he could not find a flaw in my evidence,'' desai has been quoted as saying.
desai also criticised the district superintendent of police, a mr ziauddin, for his role in the affair.
when the case went to the sessions court in appeal, the sessions judge exonerated desai of all the strictures that millard had passed against him. desai's name was thus cleared of the allegation that he was anti-muslim. but enraged by the events, desai demanded a transfer.
when this request was denied, he went on leave for four months until he was posted as personal assistant to the collector of ahmedabad. hartshone then brought pressure on the bureaucracy to institute a departmental inquiry against desai. this was completed in april 1930, and resulted in a sharp demotion. this proved the last straw, and desai resigned.
the rest, of course, is history. desai plunged into the freedom struggle, met mahatma gandhi and returned to the government in 1937--this time as a minister. but he always maintained that godhra had proved to be a turning point in his life.
sent from samsung galaxy note, so please excuse brevity
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