Jinnah and Organizational Politics of All India Muslim League

Abstract

The study is based on pure library research from an historian's perspective and attempts to cover at length the role o f Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Organizational Politics o f All India Muslim League. League was neither a mass party nor it had effective presence in all provinces o f the British India before 1936. It was Jinnah who tried to pair League and Indian National Congress in the second decade o f 1900. But soon he realised futility o f that alliance due to increasing extremist tendencies in Congress. In 1920's, Jinnah tried to make settlement with Congress over communal issue but neither Congress was willing to take another initiative nor the League leaders was willing to move forward. Jinnah returned to India after his brief stay in England and resumed League's leadership with aim to re-organise the party to popularise it among the masses. He restructured the party at the Lucknow Session (1937) and kept on reforming, expanding and popularizing the party in the coming years. The effective handling o f organisational affairs along with the slogan o f "Pakistan" led to landslide victory o f League in the 1946 elections. The victory was outcome o f various tactics, new organs o f League, strong organizational base and effective propaganda by the party organs. Jinnah's unmatched handling o f League made it all India party which was representative o f the aspirations o f the Indian Muslims. The study examines Jinnah's role in organizational politics o f League, his efforts to deal with issues inside party, his struggle to expand the party and his rise to the principal person o f League with authorisation to take all necessary steps on behalf o f the party. The major question discussed in this research is whether Jinnah remained within his constitutional limits or he exceeded from his designated role as the president o f the party. The sources consulted during this research made it clear that Jinnah mostly remained within the ambit o f his constitutional powers granted by the Working Committee o f All India Muslim League. Sometimes, he went beyond his constitutional role which had some explainable reasons behind it. Jinnah was trusted by the League leaders but he never used his authorisation without consultation o f the Working Committee. A t some points, Jinnah played role o f mediator between provincial Leaguers due to his stature as Quaid-i-Azam which drew respect fo r him from all circles. Moreover, he handled organizational politics by either acting formally under constitutional umbrella or he used his informal and personal influence fo r betterment o f the party. Jinnah's effective and influential handling o f League at provincial and central level united the fragmented and less popular party to a united and popular party which could claim sole representative o f the Muslims o f Indian Subcontinent The victory in the 1946 elections testified organizational strength o f League and Jinnah's leadership ability to handle party affairs in systematic way. The last phase o f freedom movement testified Jinnah's sagacious handling o f the situation and formidable mobilization o f party organs in a single direction with a single chain o f command. The goal o f Pakistan could not be achieved without strong, influential and sheer handling o f organizational politics o f League which Jinnah did marvelously.