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        'Grace was in all his steps. Heaven in his eyes. In every gesture dignity and love'.

        In May 1945, the II World War came to an end. The British Government in India realised that their days in India were coming to an end. The Congress was divided on the question of partition. Rajaji had resigned from Congress on this issue. Jinnah was proudly proclaiming the 'Two-Nation Theory' stating that Muslims could never live in India because he considered Congress a Hindu party. The Congress officially at this point of time struck to its anti-Pakistan stand. Lord Wavell and his successor Lord Mountbatten were surreptitiously supporting Jinnah's demand for a separate Muslim State of Pakistan. In those dark days, Shri Guruji took a bold and unequivocal stand on the question of united India or what he called AKHAND BHARATH. He clearly declared in all his speeches throughout India and more particularly in the affected States like undivided Punjab, Rajasthan, United Provinces, Bihar and Bengal that there can be no question of any negotiation or discussion on the issue of a United India. In 1945-46 he used to attract milling crowds who wanted to hear his inspiring words on the issue of Akhand Bharath.

        All the leading Congress leaders (with the singular and salutary exception of Mahatma Gandhi), who were released from prison in 1945, after years of imprisonment, had become far too eager to capture positions of power and pelf. Despite this disturbing trend, under the influence and inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress in its session officially rejected Jinnah's demand for partition in 1945. Soon after the session, Gandhiji declared: 'Partition can take place only over my dead body'. These words came as a succour to millions of Hindus in undivided Punjab and elsewhere. The Hindus therefore took it for granted that partition of India would never take place.

        In order to intimidate and pressurise the British Government on the one hand and the peace-loving Hindus of India on the other, Jinnah in a true Jihadi style, announced 16 August 1946 as the 'Direct Action Day'. On that fateful day, riots were incited by Muslim leaders belonging to the Muslim League all over the country. More particularly, barbaric massacres and genocide took place on this day in places like Calcutta, Dacca, Noakhali, striking terror in the hearts of the Hindus. Naturally, there was a counter reaction. In Bihar, Congress leaders forcibly suppressed such a rebellion. However, the Congress party and its leaders came to realise that it would be better to agree to Pakistan rather than invite a civil war and a terrible blood shed. It is clear now from what happened after independence that the Congress was fully confident that after agreeing to Jinnah's demand for Pakistan, in post-independent India, taking advantage of the system of adult franchise granted to illiterate millions, they could create any number of secular pockets of Pakistan in India, assuring minority vote banks in the name of 'secularism'.

        In those terrible days, the Sangh had become a powerful force in Punjab. Shri Guruji in all his public meetings spoke against the creation of Pakistan. He was personally touring all the affected areas to maintain and boost up the public morale. In those terrible times, he toured the whole of Punjab and Sind quite often. The local Congress leaders in all these areas became very envious of the rising force of the Sangh and the growing popularity and moral influence of Shri Guruji. Shri Guruji told the Congress leaders 'not to accept partition' in a meek and tame manner. He often used to say that Hindu society was capable of tackling the Muslim goondaism. He exhorted the Hindus and told them not to be unduly disturbed by terrorism, atrocities and threats of killing. In a famous speech at Nagpur on Vijayadasami day in 1946 he said: 'I do not think it is manly to talk about non-resistance. In these days of strife, how can non-resistance ever benefit the country? I feel a violent struggle is unavoidable. You may well refrain from resistance, but will that stop the aggressors from indulging in their black deeds? Do not forget that the sacrificial goat at the Kali temple is an embodiment of non-resistance. We are not to become such artificial goats. Self-defence is the natural, legitimate right of every individual and of every society. So to say that 'one should not take the law into one's own hands merely because security is the Government's responsibility' is basically illegal'. Shri Guruji, as one who had taken a degree in law, knew clearly that there was a provision in the IPC to kill another man in self-defence. Shri Guruji declared in Punjab on 1 June, 1947: 'We do not know Pakistan, nor do we accept it. We must take a stand, wherever we are; we should put up an organised resistance. If we fear to go into that fiery ordeal, and leave our motherland, history will say that these people felt no pangs of pain over the cutting up of their dear motherland'.

        Despite the fervent appeals of great men like Shri Guruji, partition was announced on 3 June, 1947. Shri Guruji directed all the Sangh 'Swayamsevaks' to act as a protective shield to all the Hindus in Punjab and Sind, who were going to move into India soon after this announcement. Violence was let loose by the Muslims against innocent Hindus in different parts of Punjab and Sind. Even in such a state of anarchy and lawlessness, Sangh's training camps were held in Phagwara and Sangrur in Punjab in the third week of July 1947. In this traumatic hour, the Sangh 'Swayamsevaks' proved to be the only ray of hope of succour and survival to the Hindus. Several eminent international writers of books and articles on partition have paid great tributes to the Sangh 'Swayamsevaks' and to Shri Guruji for the extraordinary courage and strength of character shown by them under very trying conditions. At the instance of Shri Guruji, the Punjab Relief Committee was set up to provide all-round relief to the uprooted Hindus. Shri Guruji came to be revered as the sole saviour of the Hindu Society.

        In September 1947, on the instruction of Shri Guruji, RSS volunteers were posted at the Bhangi Colony in New Delhi to give security to Mahatma Gandhi who was staying there. At that time, neither Nehru nor Patel, or any of the Congressmen, raised any objection to this arrangement. On 16 September, 1947, Mahatma Gandhi addressed about 500 members of the RSS at the Bhangi Colony. The late Shri Jamanlal Bajaj had taken Mahatma Gandhi to the camp and Gandhi said: 'I am very impressed by their discipline, complete absence of untouchability and rigorous simplicity. Inspired by the ideal of service and self-sacrifice, it is bound to grow in strength'.

        Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at Birla House on 30 January 1948. Naturam Godse, the assassin, was immediately arrested. Later he was tried and sentenced to death. On that fateful day at 5 pm Shri Guruji was in Madras, sipping a cup of tea with his friends. When he heard of the terrible news, he sent telegrams to Patel and Nehru assuring them of all help at that time of trial and tragedy. Shri Guruji immediately flew to Nagpur. On 1 February, 1948, hundreds of goondas gathered outside Shri Guruji's house in Nagpur and started pelting stones. On the same day, Shri Guruji was arrested by the police on the charge of Gandhiji's assassination under sections 320 and 120 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Was it not a lurid example of Nehru's callous thoughtlessness and unrestrained lust for power? Was he not trampling all justice and godliness with his great secular foot ? This happened within six months of the attainment of our independence and Nehru's famous 'Tryst with Destiny'. It was indeed a tryst with tyranny; it was indeed a tryst with terror; it was indeed a tryst with treachery. Pandit Nehru clearly showed that he could beat the record of his beloved Stalin in post-independent India.

        On 2 February, 1948, it was officially announced that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was banned. Sangh workers and Swayamsevaks were arrested throughout the country. There were more than 40,000 arrests. The atmosphere of the whole country was poisoned by the effete Congress party with anti-Sangh rumours, with charges and venomous tirades against the Sangh and Shri Guruji. On 5 February, 1948, when his lawyer-friend Dattopant Deshpande went to see Shri Guruji, Shri Guruji handed over to him a written statement saying that the RSS was disbanded and asked him to get it published. Shri Guruji said in that statement: 'It has always been the policy of the RSS to be law- abiding and carry on its activities within the bounds of law. Therefore, since the Government has declared the RSS an unlawful body it is thought advisable to disband the RSS till the ban is there, at the same time denying all the charges levelled against the organisation'.

        The tragedy of post-independent India was that the press was not officially muffled by the Government of India. The press gagged and strangled itself with its own notions of nationalism and secularism. The only newspaper which gave a full account of Shri Guruji's statement on the disbandment of the RSS was Pakistan's 'Dawn' on 6 February. The Government of India led by the Congress party thought that the life of RSS had come to an end on 2 February, 1948.

        On 7 February, 1948, the Government of India suddenly withdrew the charge of conspiracy of murder and issued a new ordinance ordering Shri Guruji's internment under the National Security Act. He was kept in a solitary prison. Newspapers were denied to him for the first one month. Shri Guruji displayed unwavering faith and mental fortitude during his stay in prison.

        It is clear that Nehru was no champion of civil rights or human rights. After our independence, he functioned like any other petty politician. From his attitude towards the RSS and Shri Guruji we get the lesson: 'We can vaccinate ourselves against small-pox; there is no vaccination available against small minds, particularly in high places'.