Excerpt from 'India Wins Freedom' by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

 ***

I have to admit with regret that both in Bihar and Bombay, the Congress did not come out fully successful in its test of nationalism.

The Congress had grown as a national organization and given the opportunity of leadership to men of different communities. Thus, in Bombay Mr Nariman was the acknowledged leader of the local Congress.

When the question of forming the provincial Government arose, there was general expectation that Mr Nariman would be asked to lead it in view of his status and record. This would however have meant that a Parsee would be the Chief Minister while the majority of members in the Congress Assembly Party were Hindus.

Sardar Patel and his colleagues could not reconcile themselves to such a position and felt that it would be unfair to the Hindu supporters of the Congress to deprive them of this honour.

Accordingly, Mr B.G. Kher was brought into the picture and elected leader of the Congress Assembly Party in Bombay.

***

A similar development took place in Bihar. Dr Syed Mahmud was the top leader of the province when the elections were held. He was also a General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee and as such he had a position both inside and outside the province.

When the Congress secured an absolute majority, it was taken for granted that Dr Syed Mahmud would be elected the leader and become the first Chief Minister of Bihar under Provincial Autonomy.

Instead, Sri Krishna Sinha and Anugraha Narayan Sinha who were members of the Central Assembly, were called back to Bihar and groomed for the Chief Ministership.

Dr Rajendra Prasad played the same role in Bihar as Sardar Patel did in Bombay.

The only difference between Bihar and Bombay was that when Sri Krishna Sinha formed the Government, Dr Syed Mahmud was given a place in the Cabinet.