ABSTRACT
Hitherto, the historiography of India’s partition has remained concentrated mainly to three provinces of British India: the Punjab, the Bengal and the United Provinces (UP). Generalizations regarding this theme have largely been made on the basis of the study of these three provinces only. Moreover, such generalizations are usually reduced only to the idea of Muslim separatism. This has much to do with the (mis)perception that Partition was largely a Muslim affair rather than a Muslim League affair. However, historically speaking, the policies and programmes of the Muslim League alone have not guided the political behaviour of all Indian Muslims. Additionally, the role of the Hindu Mahasabha has been explored only inadequately. Salil Mishra has attempted to fi ll this gap; but his exploration is confi ned to UP alone, and studies only a brief period, from 1937-39, when not only the Hindu Mahasabha expanded its support base but the Muslim League also secured a meteoric/dramatic rise after the Congress refused to share power through a coalitional arrangement with it.1
