Read the following passage and answer the questions (41-45):

”The British element is gone, but they have left the mischief behind”

It is no use saying that we ask for separate electorates, because it is good for us. We have heard it long enough. We have heard it for years, and as a result of this agitation we are now a separate nation ... Can you show me one free country where there are separate electorates? If so, I shall be prepared to accept it. But in this unfortunate country if this separate electorate is going to be persisted in, even after the division of the country, woe betide the country; it is not worth living in. Therefore, I say, it is not for my good alone, it is for your own good that I say it, forget the past. One day, we may be united ... The British element is gone, but they have left the mischief behind. We do not want to perpetuate that mischief. (Hear, hear). When the British introduced this element they had not expected that they will have to go so soon. They wanted it for their easy administration. That is all right. But they have left the legacy behind. Are we to get out of it or not?

Who is the speaker of this passage?

The correct option is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Historical Context of the Passage:
The provided text is an excerpt from the historic debates of the Constituent Assembly of India. Following the partition of the country in 1947, the assembly met to draft the Constitution. One of the most intensely debated topics was the system of separate electorates, which had been previously introduced by the British colonial administration.

2. Analyzing the Speaker's Arguments:
In the speech, the speaker strongly opposes the demand for separate electorates for minorities. Key points made by the speaker include:
• The assertion that separate electorates served the British policy of "divide and rule" to ensure easy administration, which ultimately resulted in the division of the nation.
• The warning that persisting with separate electorates after Partition would destroy the unity and fabric of the country ("woe betide the country; it is not worth living in").
• The famous declaration: ”The British element is gone, but they have left the mischief behind”, referring to the legacy of communal division that separate electorates fostered.

3. Identifying the Speaker:
This specific, powerful speech was delivered by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel during the Constituent Assembly debates on August 27, 1947. As the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Minorities and Fundamental Rights, Patel argued that separate electorates had turned one section of the population against another and urged the assembly to reject them in order to build a strong, unified nation.