A Citizen :
Muslim League leaders H.S. Suhrawardy and Abul Hashim severely opposed the Hindu Mahashava’s plan to divide Bengal. They rather proposed for an independent and sovereign united Bengal, which will join neither Pakistan nor India. At the outset, many Muslim League leaders supported the proposal.
It may be said that the Hindu Mahashava demanded partition of Bengal. The party’s working committee on April 4 in 1947 passed a resolution in favour of the partition of Bengal. Influenced by the resolution, many Congress leaders began to support it, but Sarat Bose and few other Congress leaders differed as saying that the partition of the Punjab and Bengal were no solution to the communal disharmony.
In a press briefing on April 8 in 1947, H.S.Suhrwardy said, “I always favour undivided and greater Bengal. On April 27 in New Delhi at a press conference, he submitted his logics behind his greater Bengal plan extended from Bihar’s Purnia district to the Surma Valley of Assam.
On May 20, a joint committee consisting of Suhrawardy, Nazimuddin, Abul Hashim, three other Muslim League leaders, Sarat Bose, Kiran Sangkar Roy and three other Congress leaders sat together in the residence of Sarat Bose and signed a compromise formula subject to the amendment from time to time in case of need.
Several conditions of the formula were:
The Muslim League government will remain in power, 2. The proposed Bengal will join neither Pakistan nor India. A Constituent Assembly will be jointly elected by the voters from all communities. 3. The number of seats of each community will be decided on population basis.
The proposed Bengal was divided in three regions. These were Central Bengal comprising Chittagong, Dhaka, Rajshahi, Presidency Divisions and Sylhet district of Assam; East Region consisting of the whole of Assam excluding Sylhet; and the West Region comprising Burdwan and Bihar’s Purnia district.
The Muslims and the Hindus will have equal number of seats in the Legislative Assembly, the Prime Minister will always be a Muslim, while the President will be from all he communities by rotation.
The Constitution will be valid for 10 years. After this period, if any region wants to secede, it can do and become an independent state. Unfortunately, all these plans were foiled by the Congress leaders from Delhi and their tools in Calcutta. Sardar Ballab Bhai Patal told Sarat Bose, ” Sarat Babu! Leave your madness. We want Calcutta.”
Muslim League leaders H.S. Suhrawardy and Abul Hashim severely opposed the Hindu Mahashava’s plan to divide Bengal. They rather proposed for an independent and sovereign united Bengal, which will join neither Pakistan nor India. At the outset, many Muslim League leaders supported the proposal.
It may be said that the Hindu Mahashava demanded partition of Bengal. The party’s working committee on April 4 in 1947 passed a resolution in favour of the partition of Bengal. Influenced by the resolution, many Congress leaders began to support it, but Sarat Bose and few other Congress leaders differed as saying that the partition of the Punjab and Bengal were no solution to the communal disharmony.
In a press briefing on April 8 in 1947, H.S.Suhrwardy said, “I always favour undivided and greater Bengal. On April 27 in New Delhi at a press conference, he submitted his logics behind his greater Bengal plan extended from Bihar’s Purnia district to the Surma Valley of Assam.
On May 20, a joint committee consisting of Suhrawardy, Nazimuddin, Abul Hashim, three other Muslim League leaders, Sarat Bose, Kiran Sangkar Roy and three other Congress leaders sat together in the residence of Sarat Bose and signed a compromise formula subject to the amendment from time to time in case of need.
Several conditions of the formula were:
The Muslim League government will remain in power, 2. The proposed Bengal will join neither Pakistan nor India. A Constituent Assembly will be jointly elected by the voters from all communities. 3. The number of seats of each community will be decided on population basis.
The proposed Bengal was divided in three regions. These were Central Bengal comprising Chittagong, Dhaka, Rajshahi, Presidency Divisions and Sylhet district of Assam; East Region consisting of the whole of Assam excluding Sylhet; and the West Region comprising Burdwan and Bihar’s Purnia district.
The Muslims and the Hindus will have equal number of seats in the Legislative Assembly, the Prime Minister will always be a Muslim, while the President will be from all he communities by rotation.
The Constitution will be valid for 10 years. After this period, if any region wants to secede, it can do and become an independent state. Unfortunately, all these plans were foiled by the Congress leaders from Delhi and their tools in Calcutta. Sardar Ballab Bhai Patal told Sarat Bose, ” Sarat Babu! Leave your madness. We want Calcutta.”
