Patel was the first to agree to partition, says Chidambaram

"Mr Prime Minister, I am aware that it is not in your hands what you should say or not say. But the country wants to know who changed the geography of India. The village in which you were born was a part of Hindustan. Today it is not. Who changed the geography. Who broke this country into pieces?" Modi had said.

Chidambaram retorted by saying, "A fair reading of the... account (provided by Azad) will show that partition was forced upon the country due to the intransigence of Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten's plan to safeguard British interests."

Recalling the contribution of Azad, Chidambaram said, "He was an Indian and a Muslim. He was a nationalist, patriot and totally secular. More than anyone else he was able to foresee the consequences of the two-nation theory. He was a passionate advocate, until the very last, of the unity of India.