‘I reminded him’, Menon writes, ‘that ever since I had met him, for the first time on 21 August, 1946, I had made it my purpose to consult him as far as possible on important developments in the constitutional fields and I particularly added that it had been his powerful support that had made possible the transfer of power. We had indeed got on well together, resolving occasional differences of opinion by mutual and amicable discussion. The position at that time was that tough I consulted Sardar, the final responsibility for whatever advice I gave to the Governor General was mine. Now that we were to work as minister and secretary, I was not quite sure how far we should hit it off together.”Sardar replied that I should not think along those lines. When I said there was a feeling that Congress leaders distrusted the permanent services, he replied that my fears were groundless. He added that whatever might have been the attitude in the past, he was confident that in future everyone would play the game. For his own part, he would do everything possible to bring about a most cordial atmosphere between the Cabinet and the Services and he kept his word.’ (VP Menon, The Story of the Integration of the Indian States, page 93).To claim, however, that Patel had no faults, that he never erred and his judgment was never wrong is facile at best. The great Sardar, one believes, erred in his assessment of the RSS and other extremist groups. In his letter dated January 5, 1948 to the Chief Ministers, barely 25 days before Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, Nehru warned the nation of the dangers from such quarters.
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