“Some scholars see partition as a culmination of communal politics.” Examine the statement.
Some scholars believe that partition of the country was the culmination of communal politics. It started in the opening decades of the 20th century. They also say that the separate electorate which was created by the colonial government in 1909, had a great impact on communal politics. Separate electorates meant that Muslims could now elect their own representatives in designated constituencies. This created a temptation for politicians working within this system to use sectarian slogans and gather a following by distributing favours to their own religious groups. Religious identities thus acquired a functional use within a modern political system, and the logic of electoral politics deepened and hardened these identities.Community identities no longer indicated simple differences in faith and belief, they came to mean active opposition and hostility between communities. However, while separate electorates did have a profound impact on Indian politics, we should be careful not to over-emphasize their significance or see partition as a logical outcome of their work.
