Glad that India was partitioned: Congress veteran K Natwar Singh

"I am glad that India was partitioned" or else the Muslim League would not have allowed the country to function and there would have been more "Direct Action Days", Congress veteran K Natwar Singh said here on Sunday.

The former foreign minister was speaking at the launch of Rajya Sabha MP MJ Akbar's new book "Gandhi's Hinduism: The Struggle Against Jinnah's Islam". It was released by former president Pranab Mukherjee at his residence.

"In my view I am glad India was partitioned. Because if India had not been partitioned we would have had Direct Action Days -- the first we had during Jinnah's (Muhammad Ali) lifetime was on August 16 (1946) when thousands of Hindus were killed in Kolkata (then Calcutta), and of course then the retaliation took place in Bihar where thousands of Muslims were killed.

"Also, it could have been impossible for the simple reason that the Muslim League wouldn't have allowed the country to function," he said.

The Muslim League, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had ..