Maulana Mohamed Ali Jauhar and Indian Independence: An Evaluation of his Contribution

Abstract

The present research work examines Maulana Mohamed Ali Jauhar’s role in the Indian independence movement and his contribution to it. Contextually it covers different aspects of his life and career. Mohamed Ali’s interest in politics blossomed while he was in the civil service with the desire to serve his community and country. With this object in view he switched to journalism and published two newspapers The Comrade in English and The Humdard in Urdu. He formally began his political career by joining the All India Muslim League in 1906. As a member of the League he participated in its different sessions and gave his considered view vis-a-vis the interest of the Indian Muslims. Simultaneously he also advocated for reconciliation of mutual differences between the Hindus and the Muslims for national coherence. At the outset, Mohamed Ali’s attitude towards the British government was appeasing for he considered their connection beneficial to the interest of the Indian Muslims. However, his stance changed when the British government pursued policies inimical to the interest of the Muslims at home and abroad. This was manifested when he began to express concern on those issues through his journalism. The British government considered his action injurious to the interest of the authority and arrested him amid the First World War. During imprisonment, Mohamed Ali became more devoted to Islam and an exponent of the Ottoman Khilafat which Britian and her allies decided to amputate at the end of the First World War. Soon after release from prison Mohamed Ali joined the Indian National Congress and participated in the movement for the preservation of the Khilafat. The movement gained momentum when M.K.Gandhi corroborated the vii Khilafat cause for the attainment of Swaraj (self-rule). Realising the significance of the co-operation with the Hindus and their support for the Khilafat issue and achieving India’s freedom Mohamed Ali followed M.K.Gandhi’s lead.The combination of these two movements generated unprecedented unity and solidarity between the Hindus and the Muslims. Nevertheless, this communal honeymoon did not last long. When Mohamed Ali and M.K.Gandhi were arrested, the movement crumbled affecting the communal harmony. The relation between Mohamed Ali and M.K.Gandhi also became strained because of Gandhi’s reluctance to diffuse communal tension. Moreover, at this time M.K.Gandhi’s temporary withdrawal from politics paved the way for the Hindu Mahasabha an extremist Hindu organisation to extend its influence in politics. This was evident in the landslide victory of the Hindu Mahasabha over the Indian National Congress in the general elections of 1926. Henceforth, Indian National Congress became subservient to the policies of the Hindu Mahasabha. The transformation of the Indian National Congress was manifested in 1928, when as against the Simon Commission a Conference of the All Indian Parties appointed a committee under the chairmanship of Motilal Nehru to draft a new constitution for India. The draft published known as Nehru Report ignored the Muslim demands. Mohamed Ali opposed the Report vehemently, but it was approved as desired by the Hindu Mahasabha. He blamed Pandit Motilal Nehru and M.K. Gandhi for not using their influence, and finally left the Indian National Congress Party. In 1931, Mohamed Ali joined the Round Table Conference in London where he revealed his concept of independent India. He held that, India would be a composite nation with federal type of government, where all nationalities would be treated justly and equally and the protection of their interest would be guaranteed, dispelling the fear of domination of viii any community. This was the last bid for Maulana Mohamed Ali Jauhar in the struggle for Indian independence, because very soon later he died in London on 4 January 1931 and was buried in Jerusalem. This remarkable pioneer of the Indian independence struggle held high his spirit of independence by expressly making it a point to be buried in the holy land of Palestine in preference to his motherland i.e. India then under British subjugation.