Jawaharlal Nehru called Sardar Patel a 'total communalist', says Advani

Another controversy has been sparked by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over India's first home 

minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, who was was also known as the "Iron Man of India". Senior 

BJP leader LK Advani on Tuesday said quoting a book that former prime minister Jawaharlal 

Nehru called Sardar Patel a "total communalist" when the latter suggested that army be sent to 

take over a defiant Hyderabad after Independence. In his latest blog posting, Advani has 

referred to extracts of a book - "The Story of an Era Told without Ill Will" by MKK Nair which 

deals with the "sharp exchange" between Nehru and Patel in a Cabinet meeting before "police 

action" against Hyderabad. Nehru called Sardar Patel 'total communalist', says Advani The 

Nizam, who wanted to accede to Pakistan, had sent an emissary to the neighbouring country 

and transferred a huge sum of money to the government there. The Nizam's officials were 

reportedly heaping atrocities on locals. "At a cabinet meeting, Patel had described these 

things and demanded that army be sent to end the terror-regime in Hyderabad. Nehru who 

usually spoke calmly, peacefully and with international etiquette, spoke losing his composure, 

'You are a total communalist. I will never accept your recommendation... "Patel remained 

unperturbed but left the room with his papers," Advani says, quoting from Nair's book. The BJP 

has of late been trying to appropriate Sardar Patel as a leader close to the Hindutva ideology. 

On Patel's 138th anniversary on October 31, Advani had heaped praise on India's first home 

minister at the inauguration of a project to build a 182 metre tall statue- the tallest in the world- 

of the leader. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is behind this endeavour, said India 

needs Patel's secularism which united people and not the "votebank secularism" that is being 

practiced. Both Advani and Modi have sought to fashion themselves as inheritors of Patel's 

legacy. BJP has also alleged that Sardar Patel contribution was never hailed by the Congress 

and that it only eulogised the Nehru-Gandhi family. Advani says then Governor General Rajaji 

prevailed over Nehru to send the army to Hyderabad. As the situation continued to worsen, 

Rajaji called Nehru and Patel to Rashtrapati Bhawan to discuss the issue. Meanwhile, the army 

was kept battle-ready. During his meeting with Nehru and Patel, Rajaji used a letter from the 

British High Commissioner protesting against the rape of 70-year-old nuns of a convent two 

days earlier by Razakars of Hyderabad. VP Menon, a bureaucrat and close aide of Patel, had 

given this letter to Rajaji before the meeting. "Rajaji in his typical style described the situation in 

Hyderabad. He felt that, to safeguard India's reputation, a decision should not be delayed any 

longer. Nehru was concerned about international repercussions. Rajaji then played his trump 

card - the letter from the British High Commissioner. "Nehru read it. His face turned red... Anger 

choked his words.He shot out of his chair, slammed his fist on the table and cried out, 'Let's not 

waste a moment. We'll teach them a lesson'. Rajaji immediately told Menon to inform the 

Commander in-Chief to proceed according to the plan," Advani said, quoting from the book.

Nehru called Sardar Patel 'total communalist', says Advani

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