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The Alan Campbell-Johnson Chat

Dear Mr Johnson: Why was Lord Mountbatten so ambivalent about the relationship shared between Nehru and Edwina? What was the political reason behind it?

In your book, you say that Nehru hated Jinnah more than anyone else. On what basis do you say that?

What's worng Mr Alan is not answering????

Jinnah was supposed to be a logical and reasonable man? What made him turn against India? And why did Gandhi have such a soft corner for him?

Could the trauma of Partition have been avoided? Could many more lives have been saved? Where did the British fail?

Were you surprised that Gandhi was killed? Were you in Delhi when that happened? Did you think he would be killed by Hindus?

Srikant: My amazing memory is the genius for friendship that the Indians have, and which they expressed throughout the time Mountbatten was there. I went back in 1993 when Mr Major was preparing for Independence Day elebrations. So this is the abiding memory that I have.

Did you have any personal, one to one interaction with Gandhi, Jinnah, Nehru, Patel? Could you enlighten us about this?

Could there have been alternative to Partition? If so what could it be?

Why is it that whenever the British granted independence to a nation, they made sure they left behind a legacy of chaos and bloodshed?

Was Gandhi really a great man? Or was he just a very clevere politician?

Alan: FORGET ABOUT THE PAST. Tell us why India is in such pathetic condition. Is it because of Nehru's stupid socialism?

What is the British mood right now as India celebrates its 50 years of Freedom?

Many Indians recall the British era with nostalgia. On behalf of my parents's generation, I thank you.

Uncle Alan> Now don't be shy! Answer me about Nehru uncle's, er, games! C'mon, I am strong, I can take it! Give it to me straight!! *braces herself* Was he or wasn't he? Did he or didn't he?

Why do you feel that 1947 was the right time for Independence? Wasn't it true that India was supposed to have been made independent in 1948? Why did Mountbatten rush through the whole thing?

Alan: do you believe the fact that India should have taken for Village based economy rather than going for socialsim and industrialisation headed by Nehru???

Srikant: How can you say that! The British treated Indians virtually as slaves. However, I must say that I do not share the BJP's attitude of rejecting the British past as an invader's past. History, however, unpalatable exists, and we must live with it.

Agnivesh: Gandhi did not have a soft spot for Jinnah. Jinnah was a member of the Congress, but over the years they drifted apart and towards the end, were fundamentally opposed to each other. Gandhi regarded Pakistan as the vivisection of India; Jinnah regarded Gandhi as representing traditional Hinduism in its opposition to the Muslim faith. Srikant: Yes I was surprised, but not entirely so, when Gandhi was shot, because he took great risks in his effort to be impartial between the rival claims of India and Pakistan. He always said he would not be able to exert the same influence in the Punjab as he had in the Bengal, where almost alone he managed to keep the peace at the time of Independence. I was in Delhi when Gandhi was killed.

Did Nehru have an affair with Mountbatten? There is also speculation that Lord Mountbatten was gay. Why is there such a lot of hostility towards Lod Mountbatten? What kind of a man was he? Did you stay in touch with him till his death?

Nandini: Looks like you're here because you have nothing better to do. If you are not interested in speaking to Mr Alan, why don't you go to some sleazy site that will take care of your disgusting curiosity?

Alan: Why are you taking so long to answer??

You said in your interview that Kashmir will be partitioned someday. Was the accession of Kashmir manipulated in dubious circumstances?

What kind of a man was Nehru? Was he a schemer under that patrician facade? Was he more trustworthy than Jinnah? Is it not true that Lord M got along better withb N than he did with J?

Agnivesh: He didn't rush it through. The fact is that on the contrary the Indian leaders pressed for a quick solution and they were right to do so because it was the end of an endgame. Negotiations had been going on over a period of five years, and unless a quick solution had been reached, there was a risk of total collapse at a continental level.

Alan: My grandparents used to say that Ganhi used to overdo his Ram Rajya philosophy. muslims were irritated by the fact that he had no other business than singing Raghu pati Rajaram. This annoyed muslims. Moreover, the congress government banned cow slaughter in UP which irritated muslims and hence drifted them towards muslim league and the dream of Pakistan came true in the year 1947.

Atul: The invasion of Kashmir by the tribesmen made it a very dangerous situation. Mounbatten's overwhelming desire was to ensure that the two successor governments of India and Pakistan did not go to war within three months of their formation. Although he was a constitutional government, he was strongly of the opinion that the dispute should not end in war, and should be subjected to international arbitration.

But what was the result? India was ill-prepared for the Partition; and our memory of that precious moment will always be tinged with sorrow at the rivers of blood that flowed through our country. It was too high a price! Don't you think the British, with their centuries of experience, could have been a little more careful?

Did Jinnah ever hint at the reasons for betrayal by the Congress? Was there anyone in his circle that he trusted? I know he didn't trust Liaquat Ali Khan.

Yes, but was the accession brought about by deceit? There is a theory that the Indians forged the Instrument of Accession? Would you agree that Lord M was led astray on the matter of Kashmir by Nehru and Co?

Alan: Can you tell us about the fact that why Hindu fundamentalists were not able to influence Hindu masses as Muslim League influnced muslim masses. Can you tell us in short that what was the reason that congress party was ruling the Hindu masses till the year 1947?

If Lord M was not biased towards India as you claim, why do Pakistanis believe that they were cheated of what was their due? Do you believe they would have got more land if it was not for Lord M?

Where, in your opinion, does Kashmir belong? In India or in Pakistan?

Ajit: Nehru was a leader of international stature, and high moral quality. But he was not by instinct an administrative politician. Administration was really Sardar Patel's area, and during the period Mounbatten was there, Nehru and Patel were really a diumvariate. But Nehru was a most attractive personality and Winston Churchill once said of him that he believed Nehru to be a man devoid of hatred and fear. A tribute from one old herovian prime minister to another.

Alan: Do you see a situation where India and Pakistan can reunite like East and WEst germany, if yes why and if no, why not???

Thank you, Sir, for your kind reponse. Were you surprised when Pakistan broke up in 1971?

Is an Indian keying in for you? I presume it is Harrowian, not herovian.