Wednesday 31 March 2010

Partition Of Bengal (Continued : Pakistan Movement)

The Partition Of Bengal, 1905

The administrative problem that faced Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, was the bigness of the Bengal presidency. The area of the presidency was too large, the population was too dense, and the communication was too difficult. The Bengal with a population of 54 million, of which 42 million were Hindus and 9 million Muslims, and Eastern Bengal and Assam, with a population of 31 million of which 18 million were Muslims and 12 Million Hindus. The territories to be transferred from Bengal to the new province consisted of the districts of Chittagong and Dhaka divisions, those of Raj-shahi division except Darjeeling, and the district of Malda.

This scheme was sent to London by Lord Curzon in February, 1905. It was sanctioned bu the Secretary of State for India, St. John Brodrick, in June, and the proclamation of the formation of the new province was issued in September. The province of Eastern Bengal and Assam came into being on 16 October, 1905.

Muslim Reaction Toward Partition:

The new province if Eastern Bengal brought happier prospects of political and economic life for the Muslims. The Muslims turned into majority by the creations of new province. The partition of Bengal provided chances of great progress to the Muslims who formed the majority group in the new setup. In the combined province of Bengal, the Muslims were a suppressed class of society. The Hindus had monopolized trade and government services which aggravated the economic condition of the Muslims. The partition of Bengal provided them with a chance to rehabilitate their social position. They hoped that their social status would get a tremendous boost in the new province. The Muslims expressed their utmost happiness over the partition of Bengal. They offered their gratification in the loyal way to the government for taking a step for their social, economic and political uplift.

Hindu Reaction Toward Partition:

The Hindus reacted toward the partition of Bengal in a hostile and violent manner. The Hindus could never support a move which was to bring prosperity and happiness to the Muslims. The reasons for Hindus opposition to the partition were as follows:

  1. The Hindus believed that they would come under the domination of the Muslim majority in the new province and their superior position would be downgraded to the inferior status.
  2. As the provincial High Court and other judicial bodies were to be shifted to Dhaka, the Hindu lawyers feared that their legal practice would be affected.
  3. Since Dhaka was to become the center of journalistic and other academic activities, the Hindu press and media believed that from now onward the Muslim point of view would be projected in the newspapers and magazines. They also feared that their income would seriously be lessened.
  4. The Hindu landlords, capitalists and traders did not like the partition as it was to put an end to their exploitation of the poor Muslims.
  5. Before the partition of Bengal the Hindus enjoyed dominant position in the political sphere of the province over the Muslims. The new setup was to put an end to their superior political position and their political dominance over the Muslims would finish.

The Hindus, therefore, launched an intensive movement against the partition of Bengal, They termed the partition as degrading and an insult to the national character of the Hindu population. Religions color was given to the agitation and the partition was termed as the dissection of the 'Scared Cow Mother' in order to arouse intense opposition by the Hindu masses. They considered the partition as an attempt to sow the needs of hatred and discontentment among the Indian people to weaken the national movements for independence.

The day of 16 October, 1905, when the partition was enforced, was declared as a national tragedy. Strikes were held throughout the country. The Indian National Congress also jumped in to support the agitation against partition. The Hindu students put up violent demonstrations against the partition. The Congress severely criticized the partition in the annual session of 1906.

The Hindu agitation soon turned into a violent reaction. The people disobeyed government orders by refusing to pay taxes and rentals. Communal clashes erupted at a number of places which upset the law and order situation in the country. The political disorder and unrest largely largely prevailed in the country. Bombs were thrown and attacks were made on the lives of the British people. Swadeshi movement was organized by the Hindu majority to boycott the British manufacturers. The train carrying the Governor of the Eastern Bengal was derailed and an attempt was made on the Viceroy's life which failed.

The Muslims kept away from the Hindu agitation and adopted a humble and loyal posture. They welcomed the partition and passed resolutions supporting the partition of Bengal. They impressed upon the government to maintain its decision of the partition of Bengal.

The most serious result of the Hindu agitation was a steep rise in Hindu - Muslim riots. The net result of this was that the Hindu agitation definitely disunited the Muslims from the Congress.


Tuesday 30 March 2010

Establishment Of Indian National Congress (Continued : Pakistan Movement)

Establishment of Indian National Congress, 1885

In 1885, the Indian National Congress was formed on the initiative of the retired British official, Allan Octavian Hume. It had the blessings of the Viceroy, Lord Dufferin, who desired the organization to develop into a controlled and responsible opposition and serce as a canalizing agent for the agitating discontent among the intelligentsia, Its first president was Mr. Womesh Chandra Banerjee.

There were a number of factors that helped in the emergence of this organization which may be thus summarized:

  1. The principal source of patriotic inspiration was furnished by the English literature, European and American history and their accounts of struggles for freedom. The western education cam first to Hindus: so did the new nationalism
  2. The revivalist movements among the Hindus promoted Hindu nationalism. On the one hand, Swami Vivekananda, the spokesman of Rama Krishna mission asserted that the world had still to learn a lot from the spirtual Hindu nation and even from idolatry which he called "the most admirable and enlightened form of devotion". On the other hand, emerged the Arya Samaj movement founded by Swami Dayananda, which, although liberal in outlook, preached a return to the ancient Vedic faith, stressed the Unity of God and overthrow of alien faiths like Islam and Christianity.
  3. Then there was a racial hatred against the British who had gone to their peak of isolation after the shock they suffered in 1857. The personal ties with the people were almost non - existent.
  4. Some Englishmen in India even forgot he most elementary rules of decent behavior. Indians were not allowed into English society, restaurants and clubs. The mutual hatred assumed dimensions when a very large number of Indians were killed by some Englishmen who either remained unpunished or got light penalties.
  5. In 1882, the Ilbert Bill was suggested, which allowed the Indian magistrates of some standing to try European criminals. The English community in the subcontinent raised a strong voice against this measure, and to counter this the Indians organized great demonstrations particularly in Bengal. That strengthened further the nationalist movement.
This body had three objects:

  1. To fuse into one nation whole of all the different elements that constitute the population of India.
  2. To gradually regenerate along all lines, mental, moral, social and political, of the nation thus evolved.
  3. To consolidate the union between England and India, by securing the modification of such of its conditions as may be unjust or injurious to the latter country.

The Congress was not the innovation of one man; it was not the creation of a few individuals; or even of a few organizations coming together for a common purpose. It was the culmination of more than half a century's labours put in at different times and in different capacities by men like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dwarkanath Tagore and Kristo Das Pal; it was the outcome of sustained work done for decades by public organizations like the British India Association, the Brahamo Samaj and the Prathna Samaj.

Pakistan Movement (An Overview)



Pakistan Movement

The first brick in the foundation of Pakistan was laid in 712 A.D. when Mohammad Bin Qasim anchored at Debal Port (now known as Karachi), freed the Muslim women and children from the prisons of Raja Dahir and constructed the first mosque at the town. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Founder of Pakistan, acclaimed the event- "the Pakistan Movement started when the first Muslim put his foot on the soil of Sindh, the Gateway of Islam in India."


Pakistan Movement is synonymous with the very spirit of Islam. The War of Independence in 1857 was an open manifestation of the Muslim spirit of revolt against the domination of the British Government and its stooges in India. Frustration and lack of direction, however, pervaded the rank of Muslims after the unfortunate failure in the War. At this critical juncture emerged Sir Syed Abroad Khan who served as a beacon light for the Muslim Nation in distress and disarray. He equated education with power and declared that the Muslims could improve their political, social and economic condition only through the medium of modem and scientific education. He cultivated the concept of a separate Muslim Nation on the basis of religion, culture and history .He inspired the Muslims of the sub-continent to demand a separate homeland where they could arrange their lives and affairs of the State according to the dictates of Holy Qur'an and Sunnah.

After the establishment of the Indian National Congress in 1885, the Muslim leaders saw through the game of "National" movement and warned their people of the hovering dangers. In 1906, the Muslim League was founded as a challenge to the Indian National Congress. Maulana Hasrat Mohani presented a plan to the Government for the country envisaging two separate states for the Hindus and Muslims. Chaudhary Rehmat Ali further developed this concept. He displayed great wisdom and foresight by putting forth not only a name but in large measure the scheme that culminated in the creation of Pakistan. Maulana Mohamed Ali, Maulana Shaukat Ali and Maulana Zafar Ali Khan spread the message of Pakistan through their lucid lectures and articles in newspapers.

The most outstanding contribution, however, came from Dr. Sir Mohammad Iqbal, the great philosopher and poet and the symbol of Muslim nationalism. Pakistan ideology found ever-clearer expression in his religion-philosophical, didactic and poetic works. At its base was the idea that spiritual unit founded on Islam was the most vital and integral element of national society. Islam emerges in this ideology as a form of National unity and absorbs all political thoughts. While presiding over the Session of the All India Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930, Dr. Iqbal's Address represented the first clarion call for the establishment of an independent Islamic State in the sub- continent.

From 1937 onwards, Mr. Mohammad Ali Jinnah became identified in the Muslim mind with the concept of the charismatic community, the concept which answered their psychic need for endowing and sanctifying their sense of community with a sense of power. Increasingly did he become, with the passage of time. the embodiment of Muslim national consensus. And this explains why and how Muslims acknowledged him as their 'Quaid-e-Azam' even before the launching of the Pakistan demand in March 1940. From now on events moved fast. Due to the persistent intransigence of the Indian National Congress, the Muslims were left with no alternative but to demand the partition of the Sub-continent through the famous Resolution of 23rd March 1940. It declared that no constitutional plan would be workable in the country or acceptable to the Muslims unless it was designed on the basic principle that geographically contiguous units were demarcated into regions in a manner that the areas in which the Muslims were numerically in a majority were grouped together to constitute an independent state.


After a hard and heroic struggle by the Muslims of the sub- continent, the British Parliament was forced to approve the Indian Independence Act, 1947 leading to the birth of Pakistan on 14th August. 1947. On this historic day the Quaid-e-Azam, while addressing the first session of Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in Karachi eulogised the services and sacrifices of the Muslims of the Sub-continent to achieve Pakistan, in the following words:-

"My thoughts are with the valiant fighters in our cause who readily sacrificed all they had, including their live,. To make Pakistan Possible.”

Thus the response of the millions, sacrificing their lives and homes, to the call of "UNITY, FAITH and DISCIPLINE" from their Quaid-e-Azam fitfully placed Pakistan on the world map.

Quaid-e-Azam was a great man and a great Muslim. He vehemently advocated morality in politics. He declared that morality in politics was even more important than in private life "because,' if you do something wrong in public you hurt and harm more people".

Let us endeavour to achieve the objective laid down by the Quaid - e - Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his broadcast to the Nation on 3Oth October 1947.

"Now is the time, chance and opportunity for every Mussalman to make his or her fullest and best contribution and make the greatest sacrifice and

work ceaselessly in the service of our Nation and world."
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