1'he e&rlJ JGQrS of the twant1etb oeott.tr1 ere gel2eh111

regarded as the tor.met1ve phase of MUslim polltloa lo Bengal.

De part1t1oo of aengal 1n 1905 ancl the tormat1ora ot the Ml.lslim

League ln Dacca nut f4tlr are the tvo most slgnlt1GaGt events ot

this perlod. 1'he partition of Bengal and lte 88Dlll.ueat w1tb1a

less thaD a c1eca4e had tar reacblug consequences on the shap!Qg

of Mus1Jm pol1t1cs 1n Bengal. file oreatloo ot the new provJ.aco

of BaSten Bengel and ASsam not only created a Q6'tf con.scloaaness

e.mons tbe Mulims but also st!mulat.ed a new bope 1n them because

as a ma.,1or1tr ccmm11n1ty in tbe new province they bene.fltGd moo'

from tbe Bl'1tlsh a<tmlnlsthtlon and its subsaqueat anmalmeat

aquallJ &battered. thelr hopes and asplrat1ons. tile tlrat

lnc14a' fostered pol1tlcal coAsolousness among tbem an4 the

secol14 fUrther strensthened 1t.

Bengal was the larges~ and moat populous provtuce ln tbe

whole ot In4la. 1' emln-aced .Bengal proper, Bihar, Chota l~pu

ena orissa wltb 48 dlstrlcts spread over an area of nearl.7

lSO,ooo square miles. The province had o. pcpulattoa of ovu

?8 mWJon and a gross revamte of l? to 18 mUlt.oas sterllag 1

or ou tbb4 of the actual l'evewes of the lndlan _,lre. !be

largQiles& of the pl'Ovlnce had been attractlftg the attentJ.on of

the Governmeat slaoe the later halt of 19th centuy. Sar17 1ft

1903 su JUtdrew ft'aae1-1 the then Governor of Bangnl, propoundo4

a scheme Rvblob was the real genesis of the partition of a

Beqaltt. fhe main argwnents advanced were tba.t the admlnls-

trat1co of the territories ly1ng ln the eastern section ot the

province was exceedingly defective e.rtd that they needed mora

attention from the Government. It was therefore proposed to

attach the d1str1cts ot Dacca and M1JD.Gns1ngb together w1th the

d1v1s1om ot Cblttagong to Assam. The proposals were made

pu.bllc on 3 December 1903 1n the form of a. letter issued b7

H.H. Risley, the then Secretary to the Government of India.

Tile chlet reasons ass lgned were, tbe. t the Bengal Governmeut

Deeded relief from its excessive bQrdens, that the out111nl

dlstrlots of the province required more eft1c1ent adm1alstratloD

and tbat ASsam sboul4 have an outlet to the sea whleb lt wou14 3

flnd at Cblttagong.

fhe publication of Rlsley•s letter did not go without

pl'Otests. "The Govermnent vlsbes to weaken the Beaga11 rtatloll 4

'b7 placing 1t under two adm1n1strat1ons" 9 wrote tbe Am;::Ua BMM

faldls.a an4 the .Bt¥Ma describsd lt as a man1testatJ.oo of tba 6

pol1or of d1v1de and rllle. Dacca Prakash commented that lt wae 6

a s1nlster attempt to divide the Bengali nation. The people of

a. Lovat Fraso, 6wJk uRdU cgmn AIQ Af!is (London, 1911) t p. 380.

s. P. MUkber3ee, et., W Abgut fA£lit1Ra (Calolltta, l906), P• 7.

4. AHUn BAAAl' Potll&, 14 December 1903.

s. Do MD&.tftl.ll• 15 January 1904.

G. DASSJA CAkdlb 27 December 1903, quoted 1n z.H. ZalcU., 1'be PSRt1tlon of Bansal and 1ts Amml.JDent - A survey ot tho Scheme of Territorial Bed1str1bltt1on of Bengal ( 1902-1911) (uop\lblished Ph.D. thests, London, 1964). p.s1

Bengal, mora particularly of EaSt Bengal• .lmmed1atel1 raised

their volce against the pal'tltion schema. It 1s sa14 that about

500 meet1ags were beld 1a Dacoa, Mynteulngb and Ch1ttagong durlng

the months of December 1903 to J aouary 1904. All people,

1rrespeet1ve ot class, Cl'eed and community jolned these protest

meet lAgs.

The 1n1t1al oppos1tlon to the partlt1on scheme was thus

universal. Not a single meeting was heldt nor a pamphlet 1ssttG4

1n tavou ot the proposal. There was no dlstlnetlon between the

attitude of the Hlndtls and that of the Muslims ot Bengal~ 'ibls

led tba Governmen' to adopt measures to arouse public sentfmeat 8

1n the area in favour of the pal't1t1on scheme.

It was at this stage that. the history of Muslim pol1t1cs

ln Bengal took a new turn. one ot the results of curaon• a

proposal to partition Bengal was the emergence of Nawa~

Sa11mu1lab as the leader of tbe Mullm eommuQ1tJ 1n Beqal,

more especially of mast Ban3al. It was tbe partition issue

and the Nawab' s suppor-t to lt wblcb enabled blm to become the

leader of tbe MUslim conmu1n1ty ln Bengal. It 1s against thla

backsrotutd tbat Lord curaon•e EaSt Bengal tour in February 1904

bae to be analysed. He made public adctrosses at Cblttagong,

Dacca attd Mymenslngb. Speaking at Daoca on lS FebrUary 1904,

he declare4t

1. For MwllJm oppos1t1on to partition proposal please see 1b1d. 9 P• 83 aJld also sat1a Abme40 Some ASpects of the H1s~ry ot the M\lslSm Community ln Bengal, l!J84,.J.9l2 (Uftpubllsbed Ph.D. Thesis, London, 1960), P• 348.

S. file off1clal sources claimed that the partition schema emerged from pablic op1n1on and publ1c dlscusalon an4 not fl'Om the Government. &arl of Ronaldsbaft._z.be IaUt at LOrd C!l£MI (London, 1928), vol. II, p. aza.

Part1t1o~ll would make Dacoa the centre anc1 possibly the cap tal of a ~aew and self-saffiolog a.dmin1str&­t1on whl,cb DU1St give to the people of these districts bfreasoG of their nwner1cal strength and theu auperlor clllture the prepoaderat1Dg vo1oe 111 tbe province so created, \Ob1cb wttld lnvest the Mohamme •ns 1n mastern Beatgal with a unlt1 ldl1cb they hav a not enJoJed since the days of the olcl Muss l Viceroys and Kloga. 9

'lbls pub Llo utteranee of the Viceroy made 1t clear tbat

the government ras golog to show special favour to the MU.slJma

,, creating a new MUsl.lm meJorltJ prov1Dce. Dle

motive bebln4 .e partition proposal bad, or course• bean not

merely admin1st ·aUve, but also pol1t1cal fft>m the ver1 start.

Apart from the ,,,dm1nlstrat1ve neoess1ty of reducing tbe siZe ot

the ex1st-1og P"'v1nce, Fraser, the Lt. Governor of Bengal, and

BlslGl't tbe Secnetar1 to Govermnent of India, ba4 conoe1ve4 lO

part.itlcn as a 1 couQterblast to extremism• • At tbat stage,

e. s.~r~n svnslQM, Vol. xn, PP• aos-4. On e prevlnus day, l? Febl'&ta1'7 l904t Curzon wrote 1n a letter to tho secretary of state, Brodrlckl "~e BeDgalla who like to 11blnk themselves a nat1on1 e.Dd who dream of fUtare1 when &1311sh woul4 have beea wrne4 out, and a Bengal Babu w1ll be installed in Government House, Calcutta.. ot. course, bitterly resent all)' dlsruptlon that v111 be 111rfJ17 to interfere w1tb the realisation of tbla dream. If we are weak eaougb to Jleld to tbeh demaad nov, we sbth11 not be able to dismember Bengal aga~ and JOtl wlll taG\ cemeDtlng aDd sol1cU . .tylll!h on the eastem flank ot India, '• force almost fol'mlctable, and cel'taln to be a sot1rce of 1Lacreastng trouble 1n 1\lt\tre.u CUl'Zon Papers • Pr1vate conespondence of the Viceroy w1 tb tbe Secretary of Statet dated 17 February 1904. Mlcrotllm1 National ArChives flf In41a. It elearl.7 sbovs the way Lord CSU'Zon'e mind 't188 1 tJOrklq.

10. Fl'a.ser wan oonv1aced that certa!.n d1strlets of Bengal beet becomG • a hotbed of ptn'ely BengeJ.1 movement! Wlfriendl(, lf not se,41t1ous 1n obaraoter•. Risler bel eved that Ute preponder."'ce of Bengalis in provincial polltloa was •most desirable t to d1miD1sb. Amalea 7r1pathl, gtriJdi,l ~ltDRi. (Calcutta, 1967) t P• 94.

47

however, there uas no cons1derat1on of the spsc1e.l interests of

Masllms. It waa onl.7 now that 1t was pat fortsar4 as one of the

arguments in favour of the partition scheme. fhe purpose was

clearly to weaken the opposition to the partltlon plan by

separat1ng the Muslims from 1t. In the beginolag this move 414

not meet vlth resonndlng sttceess. Immediately atter the ottlc1a1

announcement of partition (4 July 1906 in London attd 7 July 1906

1n s lmla) t for f.nstanoe, protest meetings were held all over

Bengal, botb west and east, and were attended by l4Usl1ms as wall u

as Hindus.

~e studetlts ot Calcutta held their flrst meetJ.Dg on

28 and 29 July 1905 and pledged themselves to the ldeolosf of

Svaclesbl and boycott. ibis was followed by another meetlllg

organlzeci by tbe students of .Eclen Hlndu Hostel on 31 July JSOI.

Die b1stor1c pub11c meeting at the Calcutta town Hall, \4\ere

people ciecldeci to lattneb the .Boycott and swadesbl movements

to voice their protest e.galnat partltlon, was held on 7 August

190&. Repor,1ng the s1tuat1ou on tbe streets of Calcutta, as

the people proceeded towards the Town Hall, the ID!,llbN wrotea ttiftere uaa the unusual slgn 1a the streets of Calcutta

ot processions ot students marching, two by two, with blue

peuoons lnscrlbed ill Bengali with tile words •united Bengal• •

thf 1 StQdiQtl Q' .ColAQtSift MAdrMSah 1WAU Sth iQ tba mulf

oo 23 September 1905 Abdur Hnm.1lt an aott-part1t1on

l1Ullm leJadel' organised a tmsl1m meet1Dg at Raja Bazar ubere

resolutions we.re paased to reoorcb

1. the protest of the Mob~ communlt1 astJ.nst the currant report to the effect tbet tbeJ' bad no sympathy with the measures adQpte4 by the H 1ndWJ for the amelloratloD ot tholr eountry and offe.r1Dg their sapport to ·tbe H lncBla,

2. expressing their desire to Join the Hladaa not me:rely regarding the part1t1oo but also other matters, aJt4

a. also express1q their stl'OGS support toJ' the use Gf swadosb1 goods. 13

A large nwabel' of MUslims belonging to Cal<Ultta and Saat

Bengal also Joined the ant1-pai1t1t1on protest meetlngs ond 14

cont1nu.o4 to p&rtlc ipate 1o the boycott and Swadesh1 movement.

A nwnbar of pro1Uneot MUslJm leaders like Abdtll Hallm Ghuzne.vi

Maulv1 Abdul t~lu, Moulvl Llaqat Hossain, Maulvl Delwar Hossaia,

Alml Kaaem, Ghuznavi ttasu)., Abdul Gam, Iomall Hllssdn Sl.r~l

took active part 1D these meetings.

\ir1t1Q3 111 Nabanv 1n october 1905 llklntlddln Ahmad aalct

that 0 M\lsalmans b one optnloo are protesting aga.lMt this

proposal of' Lat hhadeu. He pointed oat that altboagb the

•Lat Sabeb• bad said that ln the nw province l.(W)llms 't10U14 ba 16

in a Jna3or1ty, the latter were 110t happy at tbls. In an

13. e:s-MAJ.slt M September 1905 quote-4 1o MukherJee aDd Q . er~ee, n. 12, P• 69.

~~~b 1, a, 14, m Ju17t m Augast aru1 as Octobu mo •

1llwnlnat1ag article on • SWadesh1 Alldolan' in the same jouraal

Mohammad Be4e.yetullab wrotet

It would not be possible to destroy or dissolve the 'lQ1ty vb1cb exists here betwean BlndQs and MUsalmans because of good no1gbbourl1ness. In whatev&r ways the foreigner ma1 t17 to bring dlaurd.ty among us, thls uflitJ, tbls synthesis cannot go. However'- lt 1s better to accept that thls feeling or ll01ty has recently become waak. !he reason for this 1s lack of love ••••

In whatever uay the English might bave helped us in oaar developmeat their polic7 of 'd1v14e and rule' bas done us the greatest berm. 16

file s1~t1on bad 1o4ee4 cb&Dge4. When the brlgbt

prospects ot tho part1 t1on scheme were reallaed bf the

articulate section of Musl~ society of Calcutta and mast

Bengal many among them began to support 1 t. ~be changed

character of the SWactesh1 movement also played its part ill

tb1s developmeat. As the movement gathered momsn~ 1t

lncreas1ng17 acqulr$d symbols associated u1tb tbe popular

rituals of Hlnd\alsm. It became quite common tor instance,

to take the vow of SWadesb 1 before the goddess Xa.ll.. "Tile

bleodlng ot nascent extremism w1th soe1al rev1val1smttt wb1eb 17

the swadesh1 movemant represented through the years 1906.8

inspired man~ HindUs aQd was 1a part responsible tor w14an1Dg

its base, but lt faUecl to evoke a pos1t1ve response among

other sections ot the Bengali society and col'ltr1bute4 towardS

16. ~ba.pDr, 3r4 year, no. 7, Kart1k 1.312 (November lSOS), bid., P• lOOe

\,l ~ "1rY~>t ~~('\ "3. .? ';f'tJ J- ~Yl... ~ 'U:,) { 1 ~ ~ vu ,:)~ ~ ~ -.\ .n 1.~~ ._:,\~~ 1->"'tt~:>~ v-iW'Itl"\~ )f~Jv'T\- .1\1'3'\n~- \

11

tbe alienation of the M\lsllma.

'lbu.s the auslim cbmnl.ela which bad earlier opposed the

partltton proposal now vlsbed the new province an4 its people 18

bapplaess and prosperity. In october 1905 the MohammedeD

Litere.r7 society of Calcutta issued a manifesto signed bJ

several prominent r.tasllms urging the Muslims to be faltbf\11 to l9

tbe govermnant alld to support it 1n eve~'l poss lble waJ•

Nawab Salimttllab1 who noll emerged es the most prominent

among the MUSlim leaders, made efforts to organiZe an agitation

&meDI the MWD11ms ln favour of part1t1on. on 16 october 1908,

the day the pa.rt1t1on scheme was given affect to, be oalle4 a

Mohammedall Provlnc1al conference at the North Brooke Balle

Dacca. In course of b is presidential address be remarked. ~bat

part1tlon had arouaad the MWJllms "from inaction an4 cU.reote4

our attention to act1vltles and struggle" 9 and h1Dte4 tbat

organl'ae4 attempts uere to be made to popular1Ze the cause of m

partition among th$ MUslim masses. !be conference baUG4 tbe

deolslon of the Government to create the new province and the

appointment of Sir Bamptylde BUller e.s lts first Lt. Governor.

It formecl a new organbatloo called MobfllDT11a4aft Prov11'1cla1 Union,

wltb Neweb Sallmullab as lts Patron, w1th the ob3oct ofllanltlq

tbe MobamGdans of the neu province ot EaStern Bengal and ASsam'' into a compact bod,- and representing to the govermnent the viewS

21 ancl aspJ.ratlono of the MUslims 1n social afld po11tloa1 matteH.

18. HQi~Jm cgmplgla, 1.6 october JS06.

l9. Ibid., 21 october 190&.

so. faa itASISJllaQ, lS October l90S.

21. 1WI*3m QDmo&Q.lat 21 october 1908.

61

~his appears to have been the first a.ttetnpt to consolidate the

MUslims of Bengal on a pol1t1cal platform.

Through his stronghold at Dacca Nawab Saltmullab was lD

an ideal position to start an agitation in East Bengal in favour 22

ot partition. on FUller•s resignation he organtaed a meeting

at Dacca presided over by himself, fhe resolution passed by the

meeting pointed out that by accepting FUller's resignation *a

great injusticett had been done to the Musl1ms 'Who formed two­

thirds ot the population of the new province• and that bls had

been "a just, sagacious and sympathetic administration". It

further said that .. the Muslims of the new Province beg to

record their disapproval of the system of Government wb1ch 23

maintains no continuity of po11cyt*.

Tbe attempts of the Nawab of Dacca to popularize

partition among the MUslim masses bore results, particularly

1n East Bengal and Assam. Tbe first anniversary ot partition

on 16 October 1906 was observed by the MUslims of Eastern Bengal

aS a day of happiness and re3o1c1ng. Ufbe growing consciousness

ot the MUsl1ms of BaSt Bengal and ASsam of belna a separate,

backWar4 and exploited community wlth their special needS and

aspirations manifested itself 1n a number ot meetings held all 24

over the province.•

FUller resigned in August 1906 due to differences of oplnlon with the Government of India on some of the measures tm1ch be had taken to suppress tbe S~adeshi Movement.

leA$f);n ;Q§!pgat AR4 AS!fS Bat ll August 1906, P• 4.

Pa~stan H1Stor1oal Society, HistorY a: ~§QtQm MiXemtns (Karachi, 1961), vol. III, par' 1, P• 22•

sa

The MUslims 41d not 1Jm1t tbelr actlvltles to organldq

meetings 1n favour of partltlon. They stl'Ongly protested against

the vay boycott ba<l besn forced on Mllsllms througb "•.. tbo

services of landlordS and their agents ublch were requlsltloned

to enforce boycott at Ule cost of breaches of peace and HindU-as

MUslim rlots"• In a meetlDg at Slra3gaft3 (Palma District)

resolutions •re passed allegl.ng that the M\tsl!ms were oppressed 26

by the HindU Z&mlndara and money.lenders.

~e pro-partition enthusiasm among the MUslims of Sastem

Bengal and the act1v1t1es of svadesbt enthusiasts were respoulble

for some of the communal riots wbicb broke out only in the new

province, though not 1n otber parts ot Bengal. In 1906 tbe

Hlllckl papOl'S reportad that U!JllM .. the agents of Sal!mul.la •

were spread1QI the separatiSt message through the country.slcte

1n the form of •swa4atl Alldolall' and the famous pamphlet •tal

Istahal'' oalled :t'or a mveaeat \fbereby the t-1\lSltma would totall7 27

bo7eott the Hlftdn.

Dlus tbore 1s no ooubt tbat part1 tlon led to the emergence

ot Bladu•Musllm teu1on 1n Bengal. For the first time the HlndUa

aDd MUslims becama dlametr1cal11 opposed on a poUtloal issue and

the economlo grlev&llces of the 14\lsllm community in Bengel got a

po11tlcal outlet. Ill an art1ole "Ra3111t1 Kahetre HlruiU•M\tSalman•,

LebaJuciCIIJl Abmed critlcleed the fetl MWD11ms vho were askln3 tbeb

Zald1, n. a, P• 191..

Pakistan B1StoJ'1C$l Soclet11 a. 24t P• 23.

tJlm ~' 3 FebN~J' 19071 ia~lmDl• 00 December 1906 quot TnS&rkar, n. U 9 P• 44B.Oi'G11 text of the pamphlet had been reprinted 1D lba IIMalgg, 6 t4af 1907.

ccreltgtonlsts to ~oln the consresas •• .... th$1 ti1tbout

oonsl4sr1ng the tutu" are be1ag cheated •·•·• lfben the timt wUl

come to» ·•the svvlval ot tb$ fittest" th$11 it 1s 11&rr <loubtt\\1 28

vhethel? ln politics Masllm clatrance 't1111 be traceable." In•

M\aelim opposlt1on to the anti-partition movemea.t no doubt

enraged the Hind\ts• btt Rab1ndranatb fi\gorQ desc~t1be4 the root

ot the problem when. be r0m.dketb "Wbr the M\lsl!mS COQ14 no' become on.a "ltb us 1Q ou~ a~otll ts d~e to tbe rec.son that we

. 29 neve~ anowea. outt hee»ts to uniM with thelrs .• tt

11

7he f-oundation of the All Icdla MU.elbl League in 1906 at

Dscoa was _parU, the result ot the ·agltath>n to~ eat4 ega1n$tt

partition. fil!s was ot co.~e preo.ecled by tbe Sbl.la ~putet1Gn

011 1 ootol)er 1906, an4 tbe move tol.' that 4aputa.t1on wae 1altl&W

b,J· Mohnln-u1~MU1kt see~et~y o£ the A11l&m Oo:Uegf)t t1ho wrote to

AsrebbO:ld and ~tteat«l ha to a~l'ange fo~r th$ a."eoept1on ot a

MWtlSm dgputation by the Vloero7• Xt SSt bolfe\'~1 e.t.anttte~'

to tacte, tbat the situation in Bengal tlgu"ett prominentlY emo~

tbe faeto.IS tmleb led Mobain.ul-Mulh to t-ake this in1tiat1ve.

AS be wrote 1c hiS letter to A~chboldt

I find tba-t Mohammedan teeltng 1s ve._,y mucl\ changed, and I am constantly get.tJ;ng tett:ers utlq empha,lc 1ang~ge9 and s·aylng ~a~ the Hindus bave sLtoceeded ow1ns to their asltatlon, anct the MohMmaaaus bnvo ettffer.e'd to}t tb&lr su,w:a. tile Mohammedans beve

generally begQn to tb 1nk of organla!Dg a po11t1ca1 assoclat1oo e.Qd toralag themselves 1ato polltlca1 agitators.... file Mohammedans of Eastern BeDga1 have received a sevel'O shook. I bave got a lettett from Syed Nnwab All ChoWdhur1 of Dacca vho glves uttGbDoe to tile extre-mel-7 sorrow.t\tl teellag pMV&Ulag thetr0• He S&JSI '••• U.p tUl DOW the MobammedaDS of Bengal bave been c&Feless. the7 have 11011 bosun to fGel the oonaequeacos of tbeu oeMlessrtess. It onl1 the MohammedanS ot Bengalt J.Qstead of follou1og the Govertmlent, ba1i ag1tate4 llke the Hlnd\la aDd ba4 enlJateci the a1B1J)atbles of the Mohamm.edau ot the whole ot In~ and ra1se4 tbelJt volce up to tbe Parliament, tbe7 would lleve• have seen these unfortunate coQSequtmces•••• • 30

In their attempt to organlae a movement ln favour ot

partition, hlfab Sallmullab of Dacca atl4 syect Nawab All

Chowdhury ot Mym$118lqb trleci tc make partJ.tion an all-ln41a

Issue. !bey were 1n constant correspondence w1th Mobsla-u;&,.

lmlk anc1 AI'Ch'bol<t ple&ding tor their belp 1n tbelr move. In

ble l.ettu datsd 9 ADgwst 1906 to DllGlop Sm1tb Arch bold vrotes

Die Dacca Mohammedans are vor1 mucb 1nterested lll the matter we are talkbg of, arut vUl certainlY Join in aDJ deputation of the kllld suggested 1D the Nawab' s letter, we bave bad a good deal ot commt.tnioatlon with tbem of late ••• whsn I read ot the meetlnss aDd u.neasltless 1n Dacca and saw tbe names ot those concerned, I was v&~7 anxioWl to auggest the deputation as a solvGDt of the <llffioultles there, as well as poss114,y elae-11bere. 31

the BengaU leaden instated that the partition of Bengal

should bel det1n1telJ 1Dcorporate4 ill tbe address to ba preseute4

to Mlll~ and even tb~tened that in case tbis uas DOt done tbe7

30. Mottsla-lllaMUlk to Arch bol4, 4 AUgUSt .1906, Bar• MSS. D •. 673/8, eaclosue AHhbold to DllolOp Smlth, 22 AUgust 19061 MlDto Pa,pera1 eorrespolldenoe, vol. e, no. 66. feat also given in S7au Baal. westl, ~lptp AM ZQdiM Ng&81Ja1 IPUilll\t (London, 1960) t PP•

31. Archbold to DUnlop Smltbt 9 Augut 1906, Minto Papers, Co!'N8pondence, vol. a, no. e.

woQld not 3o1n the deputation. on the other band, Mian Mobammetl

Sbafl and Justice Shall D1n assorted that no saob cootrovws1e1

matter should be inclUded. the Aga l'JlaA also refUsed to 3olll

tba deputation 1f aQ1 eoatroverslal issue like tbe po.rt1t1oa of aa

Bengal was included. Tbia marred the prospect of maklog the

part1t1on of Bengal an issue for the 1-'talim community 1o In.&

as a mole, blt Khan BahadLlr Sfed liawab All Chowdbuy, the pro­

partition leadd' 1n Kast Bengal, Joined tbo deputation. Nawab

Sallmullah vho or1g1bllb intended to ~oin could not do so fo1'

certain personal reasons.

the Simla deputation represented tbe Aligarb School of

fhoagbt whose eore word was loyalty to the Brltlsb. :tt demallde4

that MuSlims ahoul4 get separate representatloo as a dlatinot

comt1Uln1ty aDd tbat their representation should be ttcommensurate

not merely w1tb their DW!ler1oal strengtb but also wltb tbell'

political importance and the value of con,r1111t1on whlob they

make to the defence of tlae am,lre.•• Consltieratlon should also

be peJ.d "to the pos1t1on vb1ob they occupied ill In4la a little

more than a buoclhd years ego an4 of wblcb tbe trad1tloD have 34

nat\lrally not faded ~om their mln&J. •

Altboogb falling ln hls attempt to make the part1tlon of

Bengal an issue in the adciress to the VS.cero1, Nawab Salimullab

33.

took a move in a new direction. It 1st of course, true that

already there was a d1souss1on among the members of the Stmla 36

delegates about an independent organization among the Muslims.

But 1t was Nawab Sal~ullah who took the initiative and issued

a circular in early December to all the leading Musltms of India

and also gave it to the press for publication. He was not

satisfied with the trend of d1scuss1on at Simla. about the

formation of a Muslim organization and stated in clear terms

what he thought about the proposed All-India Muslim Confederacy.

the Circular letter ran as follows•

It is absolutely necessary that the aimS and objects of thiS Association should be definitely stated. And although I am sure I shall not receive the hearty support of some of my co­religionists. yet • for one honestly believes that t!me has come when• if the ASsoc1at1on 1B to be a force and power for good, it must at the very outset lay down 1ts policy and object and I would do so as followss

~bat the sole object and purpose of the assoc1ation shall be to, whenever possible, support all measures emanating from the govern­ment and to protect the cause and advance the interests of our co-religionists throughout the country.

fo controvert the growing influence of the so-called Indian National Congress, which bas a tendano~ to misinterpret and subvert the BritiSh Rule 1n India or wb1cb may lead to that deplorable situation, and

as. Aga Khan, MEWlQlU (London, 1954) • He mentions that w1th other MUslim leaders there "bad come to the conclusion that our only hope lay along the lines of independent organisation and action and that we must secure indepen­dent political recognition from the Br1t1sb government as a nation within a nation". In his letter to Dunlop Smith dated 29 October 1906 be states "I have asked all the members of the Simla Deputation to form into a permanent committee." Mlnto Papers, Correspondenoe, vol. 2, no. 126.

!o enable out young men ot edtlcatlon who for vant of such an ausoc1at1on have Jolftecl the Coagress cemp1 to tiM scopel on account of their t1tttess sn4 ab1llty for pu bll<t . ue. 36

!be annual Mohamme4arl e4Ucatlonal conference beld et Dacca

ln Daoembel' that Near provided the Nawab w1tb the opportunlt7 to

call the meeting at .oacoa. file Navab had seen the potentiallt1

of young Faalul Huq, the tJar.a 'Who was destlu4 to play unique al()

ltra the ftlture blstory of Bengal, and the latter uorke4 bard to

belp organise tho Mnsllm political assoelatioa ua<.ter the guidan.ca 8?

of Natmb Sal1mu1labe

At the conclu lon ot the am:mal sess lon of the All Inc.Ua

Mohammedan Sducat1ono1 Contereace at Dacca the lea4&&'S bel4 a

meeting at Sebe.bag llr.tder the p:uea1dentsb1p ot Navab Viqar-ttl­

Mulk on 30 December J006. In tb1a meet:!.Qg the cruclal resolJlt!on

moved b7 Nawab S&llmUlle.h aa<l supported bf Hakim A3mallhe.n was

WlaDSmoUSlJ passeda

Resolved that this moettag composed of MUssalmau mm all parts of India assembled et Daoca declde that e poli t1oal assoolat1oa be formett0 str1G4 the All India Mlasllm League tor the .turthwanca of tbe tollot\)1Dg ol)J"tsa (a) ~ promote amoas the Mllssalmau of Irutla feeliags ot loyalty to tbe B~-ltlsh OovOI'nmant and to 1'-GmOVe all)' mlsconcept1on tbat may arlae as to the 1ntentloo of tbe goverllnlent wltb regar4 to ~ os the measurest (b) to protect and advance the polltloal r1gb ta aDd 1l'ltensts of the MUssalmans of India and to respectt'Ul11 repAresent their aeecls and aspiration to tbe Governmeatt (c) to preveDt tbe rise among the MUssalmana og aD1 tee11ngs ot bostWt7 towardS otber

t!fA t:fM jdEikeJ 13 December l906J Zbl Epgl~ ( . cat ~ l! Deeamber 1906.

3'1e "Sber-e-Bangla SUpplement", PpklltoQ QlliVUit 27 AprU lS67e

communltles w!lthout preJll4ics to the other o})3eou of the League. 38

Nawab Sal.Jmollab initiated tbe move tor sucb a poUtloal

association as be 'ba417 neede4 support to eoun teract the ants.,..

pal't1t.t.on ag1tat1on aad to popularize the cause of part1tlon.

It was, tbel'Ofore ,qU1te ne.t&tral tor the League to adopt a

resolution at its flS'&t meeting which declared "that the

P~t1t1on 1s sure to prove beneficial to the MobammedGD commanltJ

wbiob constitutes tho vast maJority ot that Provlace, anct that

e.1l such methods ot agltat1oo as boycottlng sbou14 be stronglJ' 39

condemne4 al1d dlscouraaed. et Ra•b Mobsln-ul-Mulk alld Nawab

Vlqar-n~Mulk wore elected Joint Secl'etarles anci a rov1slona1

Committee of sixty members was appointed to draft tbe constltu­

tlon. fhe Comm1 ttee tncludetl three leadeN from Bengal, Nawab

A11 Obowdbury of Mymens1ngh1 Naws.b SalJmullab of Dacca aDd

Molllvl Hlmayat-ud-dirl.

Thus came into baing the pol1t1cal body which vas to play

a 4ec1slve role 1n shap1Qg not oal1 the dast11l1 of the In41aD.

Mtlalims, but also the entire course ot the pol1t1oal developmeat

of ths sub-continent. The Nawob of Daoca had undoubtedly been

the prima mover bablnd tbls development. ~e first regular

soss ion ot the All India Muslim League was bold at Karachi on

29 and 30 December lSO? under the presldentsblp of Sb A~ee

Peerbboy of Bomba.J. 1be constitution of tbe League was adoptee~

38.

at this session. It vaG decided that its membership woul4 be

d1str1buted among different provinces according to a fixed

pro port !.on. Members ot the s Jmla Deputation and membe~s of tbe

PIJOvislonal Committee at Daooa were included 1n tbe fil'at lS.St.

It was also decided that the Leagao would have one president,

sla vlce-presldents, a $ecretarJ and two jolDt secretaries for

a term of ttntee 1ears aDd that the branches ot the Leag11e would

be created in all the provlooes. ihe session of the League

adJoumed after adopting the constitution and reassembled at

A11sarb on l8 Marcb l908. file formation of the Leaglle was

completed at tb1s session with the election of H.H. Aga Khan

as the President an4 l4a.Jor SJed Httssa1n BUgram1 as the

secretary. fbe quotas tor different provlaoes for the centl'al

committee were flzetl Bll4 tbe members elected aocordlngl¥.

!be Bengal Provincial Mual~ League was established at 40

Dacca 1n 190? under the presldentship of the Navab of Dacca.

!be Nawa~ took upon himself the respons1b111ty of popularialq

the alms and ob3ects of the League aDd organialllg public op1n1ol'l

ln favour of the partition 1n Eastern Bengal. Meetings were

bel.d 1n different parts of Eastern Dongal and the support of

the League tor the 11ew province was vo1ce4. At the same time

the Nawab utilized lx)tb the new organ~tlon and the new

admln1atrat1on to strengthen bls own leadership.

~e policy which tbe Nawab 1n1tlated worked t11ell for some

t1me. He coa14 cocvlnce the peop1e of tbe utU1ty of bis po11oy

40. taList of tbe pubUc asa.oalat1ons 1n Dstern Bengal lfblch are recognlsed bl' the Government•. Govermaent of Eaatei'D Bengal attti ASCI&mt Home Political- Proceedings, nos. 268 to 274, August l$07.

which vas apparently paying r1cb dividends. Ia the new prov1Dce.,

MUslim& were preferred 1ll Govenment serv1ce on tbe ground that

they held on11 15.6 per cent of govermnent Jobs though Muslim

literates formed 41.13 pear cent ot tbe total number of tbe 41

literate people tbel'e. This helped tbe Nawa'b 1n getting many

ot his followers employed 1Q Government service. !he Oovarmuent

recognlae.d the Bengal Prov1no1a1 M\lsl!m League as the po11t1oa1

association competent to speak on all matten concerning MUI11m 42

intel'ests. Bllt soon the Mawab was deprived ot the •ery base ot

tb1s strategy by the annulment ot partition 1rl 1911.

III

B1 l9lD oftlclal op1n1on botl!a 1a Calc11tta and London was

convinced of tbe strengtb of the oppes1tion to part1t1on aD4

became more and more concerne4 w1th tbe cootlaulq 41scontent

and Wlreat on tbat issue. The 11ew Governor General, Lord

Bar41nge, ubo sllCoeecJed Lo1'4 Minto as Vlcero,y oil 23 November

1910, patttlcularly shared this ooncerrt. Be sllggeated to Lord

Crew, the Secretary of state, that 1nstood ot Calcutta Delhi

should be made the seat of the Government of India and that tbe

flve aenga11-speaklng dlvlaloDS of Bengal (Presidency, BurdWan,

Dacca, fta.1sbah1 and Oblttagong) eoastltuted into a provlllce uader

42. ttt,lst of the p11bllo associations 1n Eaates-n Bengal lfhlob are reoognlaecl by tAle Government"• Government ot Beaten Bengal and ASsam, Homo Poll t1oal Proceedings, nos. 268 to 2'14, August lSO?.

81

a Governora.ln-Councll. The Non-Bengali spealdag areas on the

other han4 were to be separated under a new Lt. Governorship

wltb headquarters at Patna and Assam was to be converted into a 43

cblet-comm1ss1onersb1p. fha oftlcial announcement 1ncorporatlng

these sugges t1ons was ma<le by King George V at the Delbl DlU'bar

1n Dseembsr l9U. n«e

Ute anmUment ol partition gave a/shook to tbe MUl!ms in

Bengal. ~he creation of the new prov1Dce bad turned the MUllm

e11ie there lnto act1ve supporters ot British rule and the7 had

der1ve4 ntanJ b!nef1 ta from tb1s pol1cy. ~e MuslSms, therefore,

bf and large regarded the annulment as "tbe deprivation of tbose

&plendld opportunities at self-imp~vementn of a community that 44

was clearly 1n need ot belp. ~er now felt quite lndlgDaDt.

11lf lie are silent artd less vocal our silence ls the sllenoe of 46

eager and not that of a¢qu1escencaa, wrote Suhrawardy to cunon.

!he Navab of Dacca 1n part1cular was verr much 41erturbecl as be

was not consulted before the cteotslon was taken tboqgh be was

tunct1on1ag as a kind of non-official actvlser to tbe aoveri11Beat.

file M\lslinl elite 1Q Bengal nov lost confidence 1o Br1tlsh

promJ.ses. 'fbu.a set 1n now a definite aot1-Br1tlsb feellags ill

46.

Zaicl1 maintains that the question ot conferr1ng some boon on the Klbg' s vislt to capture the imagination ot tbe. people 1Afluence4 the. armulment deals ion more tbata anytb 1n8 else. n. a, P• aae. Presidential spsech of Nawab of Dacca at the Sessloft of All Indla Muslim X..ague 1n Calcutta 1n Marob 19129 PJ.aada, n. 38, P• Z37 •

AbdullaPalPMawm Subravard1 to cuzoa, 28 Fobru.ar1 1912. see also Amlr All to curaon, 4 January 1912. Za141, n. 60 PP• 306-7.

Pll'esldentlal a.d<iress of Nawab of Dacca, Plnada, n. 38, P• 23?e

47 the Bengali Musl~ mind. ~he meeting wb1cb Navab Saltmullah

called on 30 December l9ll at Dacca to consider the situation

ar1s1ng out of the annulment of partition was attended even by

Abdur Rasul and Moulvi Abdul Majid and Khwaja At1kullah, the

notable Musltm leaders who had joined the anti-partition move­

ment. Abdur Rasul proposed that the headquarters ot tbe

Prov1nc1al Muslim League be shifted from Dacca to Calcutta.

The meeting decided to send a deputation of Bengal Muslims to

62

the Viceroy. Thts deputation waited on the Viceroy on 3 February

l9l2 and was assured by the latter that the Governor of Bengal

would camp at Dacca annually when he would be accessible to the

people of East Bengal and would look after the interests of

Muslims. It was also announced that a University would soon 4B

be establiShed at Dacca.

The change 1n Muslim attitude 1n Bengal coincided with a

similar change on the all-India plane. By l9l0 there bad emerged

a group of Musl~ politicians who were keen on Indla's political

advancement and felt that in the changed c1roumstanees there was

no jl1St1f1oation for tbe Musl.lms to keep themselves aloof ft-om 49

the general political life in the country. Syed Nabiullab,

presiding over the anmtal sess1on of All India MUslim League

at Nagpur 1n December l9l0 urged the Muslims tc develop self·

reliance. ~hiS reflected a new trend 1n MUs11m tb1nlt1ng as a

47. FOr a detailed diso~ss1on of Musl~ reaction to the annulment of partition, see Rahman, n. 33, pp. 237•60•

48. AMr3-te :Bazar Pe.tr11m, 5 February l9l2.

49. Speech of Hakim Ajmal Khan, Chair.man of Reception Committee, at the annual sess ton of the All India MuslSm League held in January l9l0 at Delhi. Pirzada, n. 38, P• 90e

63

result ot the changes takiag place 1n Iran and 1\trkey and the

growth of Pan-Ialamlc feeliQgs among Indiall M\tsllma, maklag them

more aJld more sasp1c1ous ot British imperialism. fbls trend was

strengthened farther by tbe annulment of par•1tlon. Now seve~al

MUsl!m leaders began to e.mpbaslae the atecess1t1 for a reappraisal

of the l-1Usl1m policy to s111t tho cbaftging times. ~bls 4emand was

vo1ced at the annual session ln March .1912 at Calcutta tttldel' the

presldentsblp of tbe Nawab of Dacca. fhe fact tbat tbe Nawab of

Daoca presided oveP the meeting alld that the League resolutlou

on the revocation of the partition of Bengal and on the Dacca

University scheme were 1n1t1ated b.Y the youog and liberal members so

of the League s)'Dlbo11sed th1s new trend.

Thus there started a reor1eotat1on of Musl~ pol1tles,

'Wb1cb was accelerate« by the Balkan war of 1912 and the ge.neral

Br1tlsb pollCJ towards the Ottoman BmpJ.re. ihe agitation Oil the

Balkan issue for the first time na1te4 the different sections of

MUslims and led to a reversal of Sir Syed Ahmad's policy of

escbewlng anti-government poll tlca and ot ' toadlsm' followed by 61

the leaders who followed bSm. 1'o cbange the aims aDd o))3eotlves

of the League the council of All India Mttslim Leque hel4 a

meetlag on 31 December 1912 e.l1d drafted a new constitution vblcb

was adopted at the Luoknow Sess ton of the League on 22 tfarcb JJl3.

the most Jmportant changes were that the League nolf adoptecl 1 self•

government• as 1 ts goal end accepted the need tor per1odlce1

meetings between the leaders of both the commun1t1as to tlrlcl

60. Rahman, n. aa, P• 263.

Sl. Ibl4.

----------~------

68 out the mpggg opetan<a~ for joint action.

64

In Bengal also there was a change in leadership. The

broken Nawab Salimullah almost resigned himself to fate and died

in January 1915. In l9l2 the Bengal Presidency Muslim League was ss

established at Calcutta. ~be young and radical group of Bengal

MUslim leaders who asserted themselves at the Calcutta (March S4

1912) Session of All India Muslim League became rather prominent.

Fazlul Buq provided leadership to this radical section inside the

MUslim Lea.gua. He had his education in Calcutta and was more 66

close to the advanced political ideas of his time. He beoame

52. The goal of All India Muslim League was defined ast "Attainment under the aegis of the British Crown of a system of self-government suitable to India through const1tut1onal means, by br1ng1ng about, amongst others, a steady reform of the existing systems of adm1n1strat10D by promoting national unity, by fostering public spirit among the people of India, and by cooperating with other communities for tbe said purpose." fbe other resolution ran as followsa 0 fbe All India Muslim League places on record its fir.m belief that fUture development and the progress of the people of India depend on the harmonious working and cooperation of the various communities and hopes that leaders of both sides will periodicallf meet together to find a modus operandi for joint and concerted action in questions of public good." Allana, n. 34, PP• 24-25.

63. Govermnent of Bengal, Home Poll t1eal FUe 9A·2 ( J.-8) Proceedings, nos. 202-2>9, June l913. ~e name of a large number of associations formed bf M\tS11m appeared ln the list of associations recogn1aed 1n 1912. Most ot them were established earlier, but applied 1n 1912 only wbiob proves that the ag1tat1on against partition and the annulment of 1t brought home to the Bengali MUslim mind the need for organized pol1t1cal activities through association to fight and gain a oa~se.

84. Rahman, n. 33, P• 242.

65. Xal1pada Biswas, fek1Cg:hBa.ngltr §ash Adhlf¥ (Calcutta, 1966), PP• 1·55. 2he au · ·or as made an object ~e appreciation of Faalul Huq as the leader ot the l4US11ms of Bengal.

68

Auslim 66 the Secretary ot Bengal PresldellCJjLe&gllO in l9lDe

the war vblcb broke out ln 1914 put a strain oa MUslim

lo¥alt)' to the British. fheJ feB OOllCel'uecl a'bollt tbe B:rltlab

attitude towardS %Urkoy atld attempted to ol>taln promlaes A-em

t11e Brlt1sh that no action would be taken against tho sacrett aeat

ot KbUafat. ~e war broqllt the hope of eonatltutioDal advallC ..

meDt and empbaal.Z'Jd the 11884 ot UladU-Milalbl unlt7. Alread,- a

note t.owe.r48 this bad been struck at the Lucknow Sesslon ot the

League 1n 1913.

Fdlu1 mtq aDd Surenc1h Hatb Bannu.jee nov enteN4 1nto

a Bel'les ot correspoll4ence vlth the leaders ot the League &Ad

the Gonsnsa to produce a jo111t reform scbeme to be accepted b)'

both. The annual session ot 1915 ot both the All India Mullll

Leagt.te and Ooognss were be14 at Bomba.7 lG December aJmultaaeousl)'.

fbe Congress 1n tbia session atltbor1se4 tbe All IndJ.a Coaptess

Commlt'ee to frame a soheme of retemDS and to oonter wltb the S'l

Comml ttee ot All India MWJ1Sm LeagUe for tbe same purpose.

Aooor41ng1J the All Iod1a Congress Committee ln oonsultatloD

wltb the netorms Commlttee ot All. Iudla Muslim LGagUe prepaNd

a sobome of retoRS whleb was adopted at the Lllclmolf eesalon of

tbe two oqedllzatloas lo Dettember 1916.

M.A. Jlnl18h prea1de4 over tbo Leagu.e session at Luoknow.

A. Raaul ot Bengal mova4 the resolution on the reform scheme

sa \\tllcb vas seconded b1 Faalul Buq. This Congress-League scheme,

better known as the Luotmow Pact9 accepted separate electorates

tor the Mttsl!ms and provided safeguards tor mlborit1ea in

Prov1nc1al Leg1slatares. !be Muslims were g1ven we1gbtage lD

the five provlllces ttJhere they were 1n a m1nor1t1 and en the sama

principles Hindu were g1ven over representation in Bengal and

Pufl3ab wbera they we1'e 1n a minority. the Lucknow Pact wes a

v1ctorJ tor the radicals ln tbe Mtts11m League. It also marked

the start of B1ndu-Mlls11m collaboration ln Bengal po11t1cs whlch

was contlmud by c.a. Das 1n the twentles.

The Lucknou Pact vas bouever, denounced by a large

seotlon of MUslims in Bs128al, notably the followers of the late

Nawab of Daeea and syed Navab All ChowJhury of Mymens1ngb. fhe7

felt that the interests of Bengali MUslJms bad been sa<:riticecl

to rea.cb a compromise with the HindUs at an a).l India level.

~ere 1s no doubt that 1t vieved exolJls!vel,y from the point of

v1ew of Bengali MUslims, tho Luctm.ow Pac't e0lal4 not appear to

bave dealt falrl.v wltb their interests. For w1tb a population

ot 62.6 per cent the MUslims lo Bengal were to get ooly 40 pu I

cent of tbe eleoted seats in the Legislative CoWtcU. This was

greatly resente4 by a large number of Bengali tflull.tms. Sred

Nawab All Chowdhury, 'Aho was then Fast Bengal's representative

68. ~ Jallllal'Y :1917, PP• 16 all4 46. Ute 1'1111o1at1oll Sa14t ttthe All India MUslim Lea&ll8t wbUe adO tlng

;:s:beme ot retom prepared by the .RefoP Committee o? the Leagae an4 a~:oved bJ its Council submits lt 1D con3unctioD wltb the Ind Nat1onal Congress to the Govermn.eDt for its 1ntroduct1on after the war as the flrst step towardS the establJ.shment of colUJ)lete self-govermaent 1n India. ••

67

1n the Imperial Leg1slatlve Counc11» asswne4 the leadership of

th1s section and resigned 1n 1917 from tbe presldentsb1p ot the

Bengal Pres1d.enc1 MUslim League. With him many others defected

trt>m the Bengal Presidency MUslim League. !he Luoknow Pact thu f»

led to a crlsls 1n MUslim pol1t1cs 1n Bengal.

Nawab All Ohotrdhury now began to fUnction mainly tbrougb

the Central National MUbammaden Association and was elected lts

President ln August 1918. Shortly thereafter, the seoretar1 of

State uas to appoint two eomm1ttees, one on Franchise and the

otber on dlvlslon of t\Uiet1orts. ~he A.Ssoolatlon made 1t 1ta

maiD task to demonstrate before the Franchise Comm1ttee tbat the

Muslim League bad no r1gbt to speak for MuslJms la Bengal. In

1ts sabm1Bslon to the Committee, 1t asserted that Muslims would

oot agree to any scbeme of • prognsalva realisation of self•

government•. It ma1ntalne4 tbat MUslims formed me3or1ty tD

Bengal and should be g1ven represeQtation aecord1ngl.7. It spoke

of the apprehensions among the MU11ms about the Moatagu-

Chelmsford proposals and their despair at the 1nadequate 60

representation provided ~ tbem ln the Provincial Legislature.

~roughout the rear l9l9 Cho\ldhury organized meetiags 1Q differeat

parts of Bengal to lnfluertce off1e1al opinion at Delb1 and to

demon.s trate to them that the MWJ11m League was not representative 61

of Musllm opinion in Bengal. Uamlndt'\11 of tb1s oppos1t1cn, tile

J .a. Broomf1e1d9 B!l: lofAie,1oitri'mi fli<J!Jf %b{§Dfiytb CeQtjgr~ngal. Bom t , PP• ll!· · •

GO. Government of Bengal, Homo Appollatment Procseedla:lgs A, nos. JD-l9, March 1919.

61. Broomtleld, n. m, PP• 126-7.

Bengal MUsUm Leaglte under Fazlul Huq collaborated with the

Congress on the question of India's advanoe towardS self·

goverDent on the basts of Hlndu-Musllm unlty. The Coagresa

al'ld Mlls11m League held their spee1al sessions in Bombay In

Augut 19189 presided over by Hasan Imam and Ra3a Saheb of

Mahmndabad respect1vo1Jr, and reattimoct the prlnc1ple of reform

cootaine4 ln the CoQSress-League scheme. ~ls was followe4 bJ

the annual sessions of the congress and the Leagtte bel4 1n Delbl

1n December l9lB. Presiding over the League session Faal.Gl Huq

declah4• "!he success that bos crowned Brltlsb Arms baa brought

to the m1nds of Ind1aM a national prlde and h1gb upectatloll•

Let us bope tbat the expectation wUl be Just1f1ed and these

bopes amp1J fnlfllled by the 1ntrodttct1on into India ot a real 68

measure of self-government."

IV

file discussion at tbis sess1on was devoted largel.V to

the fate of f\lrkey ar:td the treatment of the Huslia world at the

comlag peace conference. The Resolution exprQssed the grave

concern of the Indld Musl1.ms abgut the fUture ot the Sultan

of 'lttrttey t4bo was also the Caliph of all Muslims. For CoogMSS

the year 1919 started with the signs of open oonf11o' with tbe

government on the qoaestion of Rowlatt Blll and Jalllanwallabag

trageay. B.Y 1920 both tbe terms of Treaty w1tb Turkey and the

report of Hunter Commission were made public. %he whole of

IndlG reacted very sbarplJ towards these alld acting under

Gandhi's leadership the Congress launched the non-co-operation

movement which ~as to continue till the Kh11afat wrong was righted and India attained swaraJ.

In Bengal as in the rest of India, the Khilafat • non•

co-operation movement became a mass movement in wbich both

Hindus and MUs11ms, part1c1pate4. ~he end of war had led to

the release ot Kb1lafat leaders like Abul Kalam AZad, Mohamma.d

Ali and others. AZ&d toured the different villages in Bengal•

Of the Bengali Muslim leaders Maulana Mohammad Akram Khan,

Secretary of Anjwna Ulama Bengal, Manlruzzaman Islamabad1,M!.l3lb\U1

Rabman Xban (editor ~ssa\Jilftg), Maulana Abdullah•el•baqu1

(Ra3sbab1) took an aot1ve part 1n the movement. ~he first two

toured the different parts of Bengal and organized a large number 63

of meetings particularly in Dacca and Cbittagong. In an article

••ASahojog1~o ... AJDa4er Kartabyan • Mohammad Man1ruzzama.n said that

to protect Khilafat and to acquire Swaraj were the two aims of

tbe movement and every Indian should support tbJ.s~ ..

!o propagate the Eb1lafat cal.lse Kb1lafat Committees,

separate from the already existing Congress Committees, were

establ1sbed 1n most of the districts of Bengal, but this did not

lead to any clash between them as both had the same immediate 65

objeot1ve. In most of the districts, 1ncl~d1ng those in East

ea. Al-Eah,m, 6th year, no. 9 0 Paus 13.27 (1921), P• 64,

64. Ib14., 6th year, no. 10, Magb l327t PP• 3-4.

65. Government of Bengal, Home Pol1t1oal File 8A~ll Proceedings B, no. 143, 8 September 1923. In 1923 the follow ng MUslimS were in Bengal Provincial Congress Committee, Maula.na Abul Kalam AZad., Mohammad Akram Kbe.n, Mu31bUr Rahman, Maulvi Sbamsuddln Ahmad, Maulana Abdur Rebman and Ha31 Abdur Rashid,

Bengal, all the important leaders were in both groups of

committees. The district conferences, meetings, processloaa

were organised by them 3o1ntlr. ~be Musl~ press played qttlte

an 1xnportant role 1a the movement along w1tb H1nd1l press. 'lbl.a

vas tba first anti-British mass movement when both tbe communi­

ties had jo1neci together. The HJlsaotman, (editor MUJ1btlr Rahman),

Mohgmmat\i and 64-Jslam (in Bengali and editor for both Akram Khan)

propagated tbe cause of non-co-operation-Kh1lafat movement through­

out 1900·23·

flbe Massalm&a 1n particular played a very active role in

cementing Hindu-Muslim un1ty. Tbe following extract from one

of its editorials illustrates this roles

Ind1an unity, real and lasting, must be based oD. mutual toleration a.nd mut\.lal love. A unlty brougbt about merely by a policy of give and take - of one community making a concession in favour of another and vice-versa -- will only be a show of unity vl thou t an1 reall tn l t ls sure to bave a very ephemeral existence, 1t may be usef'tll for a tlme for the attainment of some pol1t1cal object. toleration as ,.,e have saS.d will be tbe basis of that unity, bUt unfortunately there are men even in the fold of the Nat1onal1sts, Hindus and Mnsl~s, Who have a very narrow conception of Indlan unit,. 66

This 1s a true reflection of the dominant feeling ln both

the communities. AS tar as the ~sltms were concerned tbere ls

no doubt that lt bad a great ~pact on them. It contributed tn

the growth of pol1t1cal consciousness among them, made tbem ant~

Br1t1sb and nurtured 1n them a splr1t of defiance of authority.

Under the leadership of men like c.a. Das, MaU.lana Azad and

71

Maul&fta Akl'om KhoAt lt became a moss movement. EVen the remota

vlllages 111 Baqal Ublcb never b&d any taste or poll\1oa1 activ£­

ties ware v1s1ted by non-co-operators and items like sp1nn1Dg and

boycott ot aouto alld schools were taken up enthuslastlcallV b7

the people.

v

~o sudden erut of tbe non-co-operatlcn movemen' 1n

February 1922 buought about a change 1n the po11t1cal atmospbore

ot Bengal as 1n that ot the rest or the country. The MUslim

society bad been hlgbly aclted over the KhUafat movement alld

thls ba4 brought the rural as well as urban masses lnto the arena

of pol1t1cm.l UJOvemen'• i'he sudden end of the movQIOnt, without

achieving aay improvement 1n the cond1t1oo of tho Caliphate

created great resentment among tho MUslims. 2he centQ17 ol4

rel1g tows tolerance vas now forgotten and questions 11ke 'I!lQ.Slc

before mosques• and •cow-kUllug' come to plde the oommunltyts

rela~lons vltb the H1ndQs.

It wao 1r1 tbls atmosphere that the Hindu 1n llpper India

startett the suddhi and Gongatbau movements 1n 1923 and the 6'1

MWlllms started Tab11gb and !anzeem 1n return. fills led to a

further deterloratlon 1n Hlrldtt•M\tslSm relations all over IncU.a.

Beqal vas not 'lnatfeeted by this trend. The extl."eme MuslSm e.rut

HlndD press took up tbe cause of their respect1ve communlt1es1

pub11sbe4 all tbo d1v181ve naws w1tb exaggeratlon and v1tlntetl

the at•sphere. !he acute tension between the tw commmitlea

67. fbora are dlff'erenees ot op1n1on ebollt whlcb movement had started tmt.

manifested 1tself in e serles ol riots. Almost everywhere tbe

riots began on the question of music before mosque dur1ng tbe

Hlndll process 1on of J arwnastbaml or Arya Samaj process ion, or on the qaestlon of cow kUllng dtU'1ag BeliD-Id festival of MbslJms.

~he flnt factor had been absent clur1ng the riots that had taken

place d~rlng the flvst two decades of this century, 1nclud1Dg tbe 68

severe rlot 1n Calcutta in September l9JS.

Ill the msaawbUe, c.a. DaS l4ho came out of prison on 9 Augu.st 1922 suggestecl the connell entr7 programme at the Gaya

session of Congress 1n 1922 as he feared that the forces let

loose by the movement would lead to extremism, both social and

po11t1cal, lf be 414 not offer any active programme. His tallure

to secure maJority support for this programme in the Congress led

b!m to ferm congress·Khlla.fe.t SwaraJya Party 1n collabnratloll

wltb Motllal Nahru and Iialdm A,Jmal KbaD on 31 December 1922.

the conneU entry programme was confl'onted by stiff

opposition in Bengal as well as in other parts of the co.untry.

Indeed DaS faeed greater d1tfioult1es 1n BeogeJ. than outslda.

Here lt 1nvolvecl ad3uatment not merely w1th a hostUe group 1n

the congress but also with a powerfUl section of Mllsllm public

oplnlon. As po1Jate4 out earller, tho section led by Nawab All

68. In ear11 September 1918 Calcutta witnessed a severe r1ot. Tbe Bakr - Id riot of U1bar of the previous 7eo:r (September 1917) which was started b7 the Hindus of Sbahabad District bad a rapercuss lon on Calcutta MUslims. In August 19181 the Pu~ab1 editor of llggagb1 an Urdu daUy of Calcutta. tOok exception to a passage in "ln41all Daily News" wblob leeS to b1gb excitement. 'lbere was talk of holy var against the inf'ldels. fhe non-Deogal1-Mllsl1ms an.d tbe Marwa.ris 1n Calcutta were involved 1o 1t. Government of Bengal, Home (Confident1al) File 6M,.J9, Proceecl1ngs nos. 50-61, r:ovember 1919.

Cho\tldbury was conoemed with ensuing a proper conat1tnt1ona1

pos1t1on tor the MU11ms 1n Bengal, ublob meant an effective

MUslim welghtage ln the sphere of m1o1ster1al rospouibillt}'

and the acceptaace of the faot of Mltsllm maJority 1n the

adm1olatrat1on. The othot' group ~o had jolfted the Khilafat­

non-oo•operat!on movement uhole-beutedly wers non-coa-oparators

ln the true sense of the term and they opposed a111 talk of

part1c1patlng 1n elaotlona., c.n. Das knew tbat bls programme

could not ba acceptable to those Mltalims tmo wero fJ.rmly wedded

to non-co-opol'atioo aDd benee be turned bls attention to the

other section of M\tsltm loaders uno wartted to use tbe legislature

ln ordel' to protect MUslJm 1nteNSts. It was not too d1ttlcult

tor him to establlah rapport w1tb the latter as be tully

reallaed the slgn1f1caaCG ot two facts 1ft Bengal's llfe, namelJ'

that the Muslims vePe 1n a ma~ority and that due to lack ot

edllcat1on thGJ we:re lagging behltl4 the Hindus. He, there.fore~

made it a part of bls political programme to flgbt tor the

rlgllts ot the MQslJme. 1ft one of the ed!.torle.ls 1D the

JADW be wrote.

Is lt not atnjust to shut out the comantnlty wb1ob commands the largest ma3o.rlt7 in the pi'Ov11loe from their legS.,Jmate share of the countrJ? • Let them val t till they al'e etflc lent• • 1s not a very corwinein.g argument especially as the Hindus an4 the M\tbnmmadan.s allkG have been kept out of their own b1 an allen bureauoro.o.J exactly on this plea. 69

file R1n&PM\tal1m Pact~ commoflly known as Bengal Pact, vas

tbe result ot snob tblnld.ag. file terms of the Pact were f1Dall7

70 settled by c.a. D&& s1tt.!q 1r.\ the bouse of S1r AbdUl' Rahim

74

Bn4 ratified at tbe meeting of the swara.11a party on 16 Doaember 71

1923. The ob~ect of the Paet was to g1vo proper recogn1t1on to

the J.nter.ests ot both tbe c0tmlltlra1t1es in &msal and therab7

re1a0ve, once tor all, all d1tterencas e.fl4 mlstulde.rs tantilnas

betwsen them.. lbe 'Qrms stlpul&te4a

1. Repnsentatl&n in Bengal IAglslat1ve council on the baSls ot poptllation and through separate electorates.

a. aeprescmtatloa to the local bottles to be 1n the proportion of 60 and 40 1n every district - 60 'to tbe community uhlob was 1n the maJority and 40 to tho m1nor1tJ'•

3. 55 per ceat of the Government posts should go to tbe Mohammedans.

4. No resolution or enactment llblcb aftootect the religion ot atlY of the OOlllmLUtltles would be allowed u1tnout the consent of ?5 par cent of tbo eloete4 members of that com!HlnltJ. ?a

!be oegot1atibml lead1og to the Bengal Pact strengtbeno4

the pos1t1on of c.a. D&S vho won the eouncU elections beld ill

November 1923 w1th a tlu.u:~plq me.Jorlty. "Bengal bas deolare4

1tselt Swa.raJlst", declared the stateABta.D• "In every k1nd of

Bengali const1tu<m.cy tne swar&31sts have triumphed. ~en the

~bemedan oloctorate111 the paper cont1tmad, R~1cb vas consldered

'«> be a safe asset for government, has been rent asunder, and

10. Blsws, n. as1_p. lOl. See also ~OUAD'i &( IguSJa, PA Jatmar1 l92ti wb1ob remarke\h " t 1s publlcly s1fate4 that ss.r Abdu Rab1m, though then 1n government sen1ce, was v1tb oashbe.ndbu, tbe Jolrlt author o~ the Pact."

7.1. Att4j\h. BAJM Nz.ta, 11 December 3923.

'12. D.K. ChatterJee, C.ij. Pal end J:Ddh\D Natio~OMM (Calcutta, lB65) t PP• 131•2• see also Abdul rJm, Jallm QA UJ.ndt!-JB1ft1Ja RMf4 (Caloatta, 1924), Appendix A.

76

l9 sympathlsers ~1tb Mr c.a. DaS have been ·elected as against 20 '13

of a contrary op1n1on.n In the Hindu eonst1tllencies suaraj ists

captured 36 out of a total of 47 seats, 1n the landholders'

constituencies a out of 5; and 4 out of 6 special seats belonging 74

to Anglo-Indian and Indian trade and commerce also went to them.

After the ra.t1f1eation of the Benge.l Pact two other Muslim members

Joined the swara3Ya Party thereby bringing the Muslim members 1D

1t to 21.

s~ultaneoasly with the victory in the Council eloctlon

c.R. Das won another spectacular victory la the Calcutta

corporation election ln t.farob 1924. out of seventy-five

elected members the electorate returned f1fty-f1ve swarajlst 75

members. c.a. Das and other SwaraJ1sts were elected Alde~en

of Calcutta; c.R. DaS was also elected Mayor on 16 April 1924

by 59 votes to 12 and chose Hus eyn Shaheed .>ubrawar<ly, son-in­

law ot Sir Abdur Rahim, as his Depllty. This victory was un1qate

1n that not only Calcutta was t1ll then considered too

73. ;fhQ S£&tesmoDt l Deceraber 1923.

74. Ibid. ~e distribUtion ot elected seats under 1919 Act was as follows:

Muhammadan urban - 6 Muhammadan rural - 33 Non-Muhammadan urban - u Non-Muhammadan rural - 35 Calcutta Un1vers1t1 .... 1 Landholders - 5 Europeans - 6 European ~rade and Commerce u Indian trade and Commerce - 4 Anglo- Indians - 2 Total elected members - 113 Nominated and ~officio .. 26

75. P.c. Roy, Li:§ D~Bd. :i:laO&l g' g.a. Jal (Londono 1927) ' p. 202.

conservative a olty to fall lnto the hands of the Swaraj lsta

tat also because it strengthened the swara31st poaitlon ln the

council. For the assumption ot .POWer 1n tbe o1ty enabled tbe

SwarajJa Party to extend some patronage and thereby compensate

for the disadvantages of the1r pos!.tloa 1n the Council, where

they could not aocept office beoaue of the nature of their

programme. 78

Tho programma of the swaraJ»a Party wao to resoPt to

"r.m1toP, eont1nuous, consistent obstruction with a view to 77

making the Government through tho Couno11 lmposs lbl&" • Thla

vas sueoeastull.y purslleci by the Swarajlsts. file second Re£ome4

eou.ncU bagaa 1ts sitting on 22 Januar7 1924. on c.a. nas•s

refUsal to accept M1n1storsb1p, Governor Lord Lytton aPPOinted

Fazllll Huq, A.K. Ohu~nav1 and surendratlath Mal,llck as Ministers.

o bvtously c.n. Daa vas d1sappo1nted by Fazlul Hq' a act ion anct there ensued a period of antagoniool betlfeea them.

To challenge and wing an en4 to Dyarchy the swara31sts

voted 4own the Mlnistus• Sal.al-7 BUl in March 1924. Wlthout

asklng the Ministers to resign Lytton again preseatGd the BUl

ln tbe ColUl.c11 in AUgust 1924 which woo agaln rotusect. Tbe tw

M1n1sters, F&Zlul Huq and Ghuanavl, thereafter reslgned and the

session prorogued. In January JB25 Abdul' Rahim, then a member

of the Govenor• s &tecutlve counc 11, moved that prov 1s 1on be

made 1n the budgot for Ministers• salory and this was passed

76. ibe name of the Party was cbaaged to swara~ya Par~ 1n tho constitution adopted in the coaf'erence 1ft 1924.

77. Qeottoa tts.nitesto of swrau; Party, Indid Q»warl.i RglsttBt l924, Vol. It P• •

in sp1ta of SttaraJ lsts• opposition. Nawab Al1 Ohelfdbury awl

Manmatha Hath Roy were then appointed Ministers bUt agaio the

co uno 11 refUsed to pass the Salary BUl ln May mss. i'he

In October 1924 the Oovernmsnt came down tt1tb a beavy

baD4 on the svara.J 1st members. oo 25 octo bor l924, calcutta

and the rest ot Bansal saw 1ndlscrJm1nate arrests, bouae searches

and ralds resulting 1n the arrest of a large number ot SvaFaj 1st 79

leadus all over Bengel numbering 107• lnelucU.og Subbes ansa, ttJbo

was then Chief &xecutlve Oft1cer of the Corporation. liowevel' the

Leg.tslaturG J'Gfttsed to sanction the repression. The Bengal

Cr1m1oal Lal:l (.AmGncbn&at) Bill~ introduced b1 the Govel'mnont oa

? Januet7 1926, 1neorporatlng the powors asswned bJ the Govern,.

mont througb the OFdinance issued 1n ootobel- l924 tmder wbl.cb

lt ha4 arrestecl the swara31st leaders, was re3ectod by tbe

Ot>unc U by 57 votes tor Md 65 against. Three MUslim membal'S

outside the swara3 Party also voted with 1t on this oecas!on.

7b1s force4 the Gove»nor to certify the OrcUQBQCe. 1be defeats

sustained oveJ' and. again by the GovernmeDt finally forced it to

suspentl tbo adm1n1atrat1on ot transferred subJects by the

Ministers 1n Bengal from 13 June 3925 to January 1927, l.ee

tUl tbe end ot the term ot this 2Bld CoWlo11~ ~ls no doubt

'18e GoVeftUDEUlt ot Benpl. COmmlllliqUe, dated S May 1928. JbB Slft3iumMt 6 May l926e

?&. aovemment of Irt<lla, Home Polltlcal me llO• 30& ot 1924.

so. ¥f!'ft3::W:tlli't&mo:m!§§». ASbQ£4lftV.Zt 13 Juae l1l26.

11 cro'Wilecl c .R. nas• s efforts though he llved for only 3 days more.

The Bengal Pact thus provl<ied c.a. DaS wlth a solid base

1n the Legislature by ensuring tbe eo-operation of tbe Mus1Jm

members. However, the forces tfh1ch c.a. Das choJ.lengetl did not

take 1t lylng downo Although his thumping vlctorr with almost

equal number ot H 1nd.Us and Hus11ms support log h 1m urmenect the

bUreaucracy, it now mada a vigorous effort to sow seeds of doubt

1n the MUslim m1n4 regarding the swe.raj lsts and thereby to bring

about a rift betueen the Muslim and ~lndu members of the Counau.

Tho B-rltlsb offlc1als had persltaded Nawab MUshal'l'Wf' Hossain to

brlng forward a resolution in the very first session of the

Counc1l ln r.tarch 3924, ask1Dg for immediate implementation of the

terms of the Bengal Pacto "Khan Bahadtu.• ~shruff Hossain racelve4

every sort of encouragement from the supporters of Government and

also from lnd1vidual members ot government to press his resolUtion,"

pointed out Abdur Re.bSm, an EXecutlve councillor, in a confidentlal 82

note. The feeling ln Government circles was that c.R. Das would

be pushed to the wall. '!he cue was taken by the t..ftlal!m non­

SwaroJlst members and a section of the Musl1m press. c~R• DaS

eould avold dlvision on tbe motion and thereby avert defeat by

taking the stand that the terms of the Pact could only be

implemented after the attainment of swaraJ and that be bad ha4

not the tSme to place the Pact before the countr1. ~e comment

81. He expired en 16 June 1925.

Minute dated 14 Jue 1924 of Sir Abdur Rahim. Government of BengalLHome (Apptt) 4M-l.S (1·3) Proceedings A9 nos. ?'U-7~ November 1926. Seo also Broomfield, n. 59, P• ~

of Lftallla Hlta&gh\ was revealing of the tl'P8 of propaganda belag

earr1e4 on 1n a section of tbe MUs11m press. It observeda

Mr. c.a. DaS bas sald that 1t the terms of the paot be not tul£U1ed after the attainment ot SwaraJ, the MUssal.ma.ns vlll be qulte ent1tle4 to realise their d&~es on the strength of the •lath!•. In tbe meanthue the Hindus ulll beeoma completely skllled 1n the use ot • lath1', so the Mbsalmaas will aever be able to realise 'heir dues.... 83 ftlls type of vr1t1ng ba4 the encottragemeat ot the

'bltreauoracy ublcb opefllJ promoted communal feeling. When the

Mln1sten• Salary B1ll vas refUsed b,y the CcuncU in Maroh 1924,

Lytton allowed the Ministers to cont1n\le w1thout sal.ar7 hoping 84

that he would get the saaot1on ln the next s1$t1q. DIU'1Gg

tbls period oft1o1ala gave Fa:&lul Huq and Qnuanavl every

encoQragement to secltre the support of the members. AS I,Jttora

recalled latera "file t4ln1sters worked tbeu power of patronage

tor all it was uortb, and brought what presstac they could upon 86

the members of their own community." \'Jhen they conld not be

successfUl Lytton depended upon Abdar Rablm 6ll4 Navab All

Cba11ldhtn7 to flgbt tbe swaraJ lets. fila latter vas made Mln1ster

1n oe.rl,y 19281 but the Council aga1n refused the Salary 8111 in

May 1928. ~e other • tactical expadlent' followed by the

otf1c1als vas to pJ!Omote un1ty among tbe MUslim members 1D

order to bUUd t.\P a separate party against the Swar&J Part;.

sa.

liPiJ.im Hitg.l!h&t 4 Apr11 1924. 8D3llsb uanslation quoted in .Brooiil'ieldt n. fiet P• 256e

ssrl of Lytton, £gn4Ug .aa<l ,elapbant& (London1 1942) t P• 51.

Ib14., P• 62•

o twiollSlJ tbe baSis of thls vas communal, but as tbev were

placed 1n a duel w1tb tbe swaraJlsts tbe off1c16l.s felt that 86

they ware not exPected to fight cleat\l.

80

Besides the above expedients, i.e. represa!on oa the

Staaft.\1 !at members and attempt at allenatlon of tbo Mu.slJm

swe.raj 1st membel's from tho party, tbe Government enacted

certain measures banetittlng the Mnsl1mso lt sanctioned the

leave of ono and a half bour for Friday prarers to the M\lsllm

Government servants. It 1ntmdtlced tor tho first time a fixed

percentage, l.e. one-tblrd, of 1tba Government Jobs tol' the 81

!(Uslima. Slftce the e.dV~tlsement of the ()osts were to be

made through the recogn1ae4 MUslim associations tbls led to

the fou.n4at1on ot a le.rgo ntAmber of associations aDd the 88

latter•s close contact w1tb the Government. !o what extent

the District oftlclals involved themselves 1o all thls is

clear from the following extract from the report of the

Dlstrlot l1ag1strate9 nacea, to tbe Divulonal Commissioaer,

Dacca, about two rlval organllsatlons, Dacca D!.atrlet AQJuman

nll4 Dacca District Mosleua ASsoclatl.om

lt uou14 certainly bo more oonven1eut to bave only one aucb roeognlaed assoc1at1ol'l aJ'1d the clalma of tho MoSlem ASsoolatlon to contlmtanoo of recogait1on aro veak. Dle most satisfactory

86. Chlet Secntar1t Govenment of Bengal to Government of InclSa, dated 14 June 1924. Govermnent of Beagalt Home (.Appt-c.) F1le 6~92(3), Proceedings A, nos. 31·401 December l92S. Also eee Broomtleldt n. Bit P• 263.

a7. seoretal'lat Instruction no. XIV, 19241_ available 1n Government ot Bengal, Home (App~t.) Fue IL-18 Proceedings B 278 of tbe ~a~t 1929.

ss. Government of Bengalt_Home Po11t1eal FUe 8A-2, .Proceedlags a, noa. ua-64, September 1924.

solution would ha~e been the amalgamation of the two associations. Attempts were made to effect thiS after the last Janmastam1 processions but they failed. 89

81

Sir Abdur Rahim wbot as EXecut1\fe Councillor, was

formulating Government• s pol ley towards the MUslJ.ms, bad no

hesitation in recommending th1S course. 'lh!s comes out clearly

from bis minute dated 27 July 1925, suggesting the removal of

MUsllm grievances regarding employment in publ1c service. nTbe

pol1t1cal pos1t1on remained uncertain and acute and the beSt

prospect of getting support for Government seemed still to lle

1n the Muhammadan quarters", wrote be, 1nv1t1ng Government•s 90

attention to tbe question of MUhammadan appointment.

By 1925 his position as the leader of the Bengali Muslims

was fUlly establlsbed ana won recognition at the all-Indla plane.

While continuing as Bxecut1ve Councillor in Bengal be presided

over tbe annual session of the All·Indla MUslim League 1n 91

Decembe~ 1925 at Allgarh and delivered a speech wb1cb was markedly ant1-B1ndu in tone, He supported comm\lnal electorate

not only for the MUslims but also for the EUropeans and advoeated

the formation of a Mt.ts11m party 1n the leglslature as the most 92

1mperat.1ve need under the existing political condition.

89. Letter from H.C.V. Ph1lpol, District Magistrate Dacca, no. 2819, dated Dacca, 11 May 1927, to the Conunlsslonerl Dacca D1v1s1on, Government ot Bengal, Home Political F1 e SA•S, Proceedings B, nos. 451-461~ Septembe~ 1927.

90. Government of Bengalt_ Home (Apptt) 4M-12 (J.-3), Proceed 1ngs At nos. 70•71, November 1926. See alSo Broomfield, n. 59, PP• 270•1.

91. Bubammad Wallullah, ~g·D&eb&tn. (Dacca, 1967), PP• 202-3 and 216.

92. ~n"Hi ggsttrlz Register, 1926, vol. II, July-December, P• .. •

82

As mentioned earlier, rlots between HindUs nnd t.tusl!ma on

the question of music before mosque dur1ng Hindu processions

became a regular feature in Bengal. A.K. Ghuznav1 uho resigned

as M1n1ster in AUgQst 1924, becallm the council refused to

sanction his salary, organlsed a movement for preventing muslo

befol'e mosqQes. The editor of <i&DA!Wl& lamented that such a blg 93

pol1t1o1an llke blm was wasting b1s energy on sucb a pettv issue.

In early April 1926 Calcutta witnessed a severe riot on ths

question of an Arya Se.majlst procession passing b7 a mosqtle

w1tb music and band. In sevel'1ty an4 durat1on 1t surpassed the

Calcutta riot of 1918. It was particularly o.cuto 1n Btlrrabaaar,

a business area wb1oh bad concentration of wealthy up.aountry

H1ncbls. Places of worsh 1p, 1. e. mosqaes and temples, uere

beav1ly desecrated. This became a predominant feature of H1nctu­

Musl1m riots in subsequent 1ears.

Wb11e the extreme Hindu and Maslim press unequ1voea111

blamed the opposite slde for such an eventualltJ, Mrs. Ann1e

Besant•s NgM,ASQ condemned the inflammatory communal propaganda

belng carried on by Slr Abdur aab1m and b1s followers. It

obsene4t

s1r Abdur Rab1m and his lms11m eo-adjustors cannot entirely escape respons1o111ty for tbe untoward happenings ln Calcutta as the1r lnflamma tory oommunal propaganda must be.ve contribUted to the production of an atmosphere favourable for suCh out 'bursts. 94

93. Qcoobanh · ~t _.year, .no. 1., 12 August 1926. QUoted AG1SUZ2~t @sl.im DftWH Stlmle£ Petta C ':"Daoc4 ... , 1973) , p. 4U2e

94. Q'loted 1n Mgdem ft:U:iftliit vol. XXXIX, no. 5, Ma7 19~ p. 612.

This vindicated the comment of the Mlii'JIAE4 ~lob bad asked

ttHow long" and tt\t&at next" wollld the)' need "to ensure the safe

return•• of Sir Abdur Rabim's thirty-followers at the eastd,ag &S

December ( 1926) elect Son. wtlat the §Sates;aa commantecl 11

worth quot!ng here. Dibe cormm.mal lsslle has eome to the front

in a manner tbat no bed}' can ignore the slogans of the elections

will not be con co-operatloa, cou.noU GDuy, responsive 96

co-eperation or break-up ot the constitution from wltbla."

fba leaderab 1p in MUslim poli tlcs from now onward remalned

1n the hands of those ~o bad develope4 an uncompromlslng

att1tude about r.atslJm interests and were prepared to go to any

leQ~th tor tbls regardless of what impact 1t bad on tholr

relat1ons w1tb the U1ndlls. rhus while SJGCI .Nawab ill ChOWdhury,

\tho bad laboured herd at the time of the Mo~ttasue-Chelmsford

Reform proposals to protect Bengali mtsllm rights and interests, 9?

bad categor1celly aondemne4 l9l8 rlots, Sir Abdur Rablm, whose

dlreot or 1ndlrect involvement wlth the r1ots of 1926, was widely 98

talked a'bt)Ut amons the HlndUt neltber condemned 1t nor tr1e4 to

explaln lt. Just after the riots (1n May 1926) he formed tbe

Bengal MllSlSm Party, keeplqg the comlag election 1o ml.nd. Dle

ma.nlfeato of the puty almed among otben ••to eeoure such a

41strlbllt1on of polltleal power amoag tbe general populatioQ

that ttomlnation by a class of mooopollsts and 1nte1Ugentsla

become ultimately impossible." file manifesto turtbe~ elaboratede

96. larwarJlt 29 AprU 1926.

96. D,o SSaWSIAIJ 23 April l926e 97. Broemtleld, n. 691 P• 125.

98. WiSA Na& fA$rliSe·t 1D and 16 AprU 1926.

ttle (representatives ot the Muslim community) have been lad to foRm tb1s part¥ not in aDI sp1r1t of narrow communalism or religious exclusiveness, btlt because, as inheritors of a great democratic soclal system, lf1th our outlook unembarrassed by the l1m1tation of caste and ••• untouchability w feel ••• to contribute ou.r best to the realisation or the true 14eal of government of tbe people, by the people, for the people. 99

the naw council i.e. the third Reformed Connell started

in Janu,ary l927 &tter the elections held in November 1926 and

continued till April 1929 when tbe Government prorogued lt

because no M1n1str,y vas found stable. on the very first day

of business on 17 J anua.r,- tha swaraj 1st motion refUsing

M1nistel'S' salary was lost oy 94 votes to 3S votes and tbo

; .. 11n1sters• sa.lar1 was sanctioned. However Abdur Re.h!m, who came lOG

to the Legislature with a lnrse number of followers, could not

be made a minister as no Hindu member of the Legislature even

among the Government supporters tlgreed to serve with b !m as a 101

Minister. Thereon the Governor selected A.K. Gbuanav1 and

Byomkesb Cbakravorty as t41n1sters. On 12 March .1927 when the

swarajlsts again challenged tresb demand for Ministers• salary 102

they secured S9 votes 'lihUe "13 votes went agalust them. Tha

swelling 1a number of votes in favou of swaraj 1st motion &om 38

to 59 was due to the faot that Abdur Rah!m and his followers

99 • UQdUD jaJiet:b l·I&Y l9a&, Vol. 39, no. S, P• 601.

lDO. -~ _ 26 Novomber 1926, !lia~ft .OBll11ifUB1 awl 11 ).n BeMal tor tne wee enclf.ngliScem\ierl926t

p. ?59.

101. AgaQAA AA&ar ,txilf.a1 21 January 1927; Qa&o&ls hQ~PaU, 23 January 192 •

JD2. Irull~W;z Ru&A.tm:t 1927, vol. I, Jai'Ulary...June, p. 322.

85

among the rttsl!m members aecorted support to lt and voted against

the Government. In October the swaraJ 1s ts under the leadersb lp

of Sarat Chandra Bose and Bidban Chandra Roy could retrieve

their position and with the help of Abdur Rahim and his Bengal

l4US11m Part1 1n1'11cted a defeat on the Government. OD 25 October

l927 they successfully carried a 'No confidence• mot1on against 103

the Mlllisters. In sapport1ng the motion AbdUl' Rah!m explained

the pos1t1on of his party saying that they had no confidence 1ft

Gbuaaav1 and therefore they voted for the no-confidence motion.

Tba f~t 1s that Andur Rahim had not got b1s reward for

the suppo~t he had accorded to tne Government dur1ftg the 2nd

council (1923-26). The Governor could not appoint blm a m1n1stor

as no Ulndu ~ prepared to accept min1stersh1p, 1f he were made

a M1n1ster. He perforce turnea hls attent1on to bu1ld1ag up hls

position among the l.fual1ms not as a leader backed by Goveromcmt

patronage but as their accredited leader. 'fills explalna h1s

•volte-face• in the legislature on tbe •no-oonfldeDee• motlon

against the ministers and public s~pport to the movement against

th~ Presiding over the Bengal Provlac1al Musl~ conference 1n

May 1927 he warned that non-tulfllment of tbe legitimate demands 104

ot the MUslims would tarn them aga1tWt the Government. AS lt

was, ln bis statement on l8 September 1928, explain1og the alms

~be .Motion against Chakravorty "-Tas carried by 68 votes to 67 votes and the one age.1nst Gbuznnv1 by 68 votos to 62 votes. llowever in tbe December Session of the council ~1cb lasted fol' only two days the Governor appointed Probasb Chandra 1~1ttlra and Nawab MusharltlffHossain as M1111sters. lBB'd Qyar\e£1:z 1.\eg!stv, l92?t vol. II, July.Decembe l92?t P• 261.

Abdt.tr RabJm• s spsacb at Bar !sal on 8 May 1927. ~- .i-'itllil!b 9 MaJ 1927.

sa

of the Bengal MUslim Party he had already remarked: "••• 1f the

representatives of the !.'1ussalma.ns of Bengal are resolved no

longer to be the dependents of any Hindu organisation, they

are equally resolved not to be at the beck and call of the 105

Government. n A bdur Rab 1m now made 1 t l: is main concern to

protect the constitutional position of the Musltm majority in

Bengal in any future set up decided upon the all-India leaders.

VI

This problem had just come to the fore because of the

appointment of the S 1mon Coiililiss ion to report on the next

instalment of constitutional reforms. on 3 August 1928, the

Bengal council elected Fazlul Huq, Abdur Rahtm, Abdul Kar~,

K.G.M. Farooki, Maharaja of Nashipur, Maharaja of Mymensingh

and w.L. Travers to the seven-member Committee to assist the

Commission. tVhile supporting separate electorate Fazlul Huq

said that introduction of joint electorate with adult franchise

would not be of help to the MUslims. The Muslim ladies,

being more backWard than the Hindu ladies and observing

stricter purdah than the latter, would be more reluctant to go

to polling booths and as voters '"~re practically equally divided

between males and females in Bengal, Husl1ms \-JOUld lose conslder-106

ably. 5uhrawardy in his evidence before the Commission on the

other hand maintained that " ••• joint electorate can not co~pose

religious di!ferences. Moslems are not prepared to give up their

106. 'pd&ao QQarterlY Registftlt 1926, vol. II, July-December, p. 98.

106. Ibid., 1929, vol. II, July-December, p. 61.

10? rel1g1on for the sake of nat1onal1sm.tt the Commlss1on whUe

recommending separate electorates for MUslims remarkeda

we are of opinion that under ex1st1ng cond1t1ons in Bengel separate communal electorates must be ratalne4 for election to the legislature, and should be extended to all local self•govern1ag bodies as well ~ere adequate representation should be provided to~ all commua1t1es. lOS

8?

In the mea~Nbile the Mllsllm leaders 1n Bengal were also

involved w1tb the consideration of the Nehru RepOrt. Tbe Beqga1

leaders met for a pre11m1nar1 talk in tbe office of b~

1n December 11128. The important Hindu leaders present ware

J .H. Sengupta, Sarat Chandra Bose, nr. B1dhan Chandra Ito.v,

J.c. Gupta, Nal1n1 Ranjan sarkar. Among tbe Mbsl~ leaders tbe

most !mpertant were Abdur Mblm, FaZlul Hu.q, Abdul Karim,

MUJ1bUP Ballman, Maulana Alr.ram Khan and Maulana Islambad1. 1!he

disol.lsslon over the demand of the M\tsl!ms about their share in

government jobs ran into difficulty and the meeting broke oQ

th1s point only. During the discussion Abdur Rah1m made a

comment about the position of tho MUslim leaders saylng "Look

bere Dr. Roy, you forget that you H1ndUs have got only one

enem1 the Br1tisbers to t1gbt, ~eress we Musl~ have got to

flgbt three enem1esa the Br1t1sbers on the front, the Hindus 109

on the rlght and the Mollabs oa the lett".

107.

108.

Ib1d., P• 66•

BiRAft g,( 'Uf ID4kn S$&tQ1G:W:X Qnmpl1t§ltl (Calcutta, l930 , vol. fi, p. 171.

Quoted 1n Abul Mansur Ahmad, &!At lltlibl IJi.1B1ti£ ~mabaa DliibiE (Dacca, 19'10), eda. 2, P• 61.

Thls, no dotlbtt abotfed the d.omlnaat teeling smong the

MUsl~s. the experl0nce whlcb the Mnsl~ leaders gathered 1ns1de llO

the 1cagls1ataare ovel' 'tile Bengal Tenancy .Aet JS28 fUrther contrl-

!mted to suob feelings. 1'be Bengal 1'enanc1 Amendment DUl wblle

accordlog occupancy rlghts to tbe eultivators of some years

staa41ag retained tbe landlord's rlgbt to pre-emptioA tees and

transfer f"s kClOwn as u,l.a!o&, tho11gb the later was redUced

from 26 per CGftt to 00 per cent. 'bls Wa8 Vabement)J1 0 ruotoci to by the MUslim mamoon ¥ito wanted 1ts total alllol1t1cm. In

tna dlvlslon un tbe quutloa ot: retention ot ~all the

Hindu memben 1nclud1ag tbe Swa.rajlsts voted in favour of tbe

claasa and tbe Muslim membel-s, 1rrespect1ve of tbe .faot tbat ll2

there were e nwalmt or zamind&rs a:-uong them, votod age1nst 1t.

only four Ml!SlSm .memben of wblcb two ot them were ln tha

govermnalltt votG4 1n tevou of retentloD. fb1s dovelopmont ROt

only resulted 1n com.,partmental1Zat1on lo tbe leglslaturo between

Hlnd\l and MUslim members bUt a.lso served as an impetus to tbe

fol'mation of a rena.ats• party ln 1929, as w1U be 41scusse4

lat1iUl' on. The Netutu Report o.n4 the All-Part)' Convention evoked

m.lx0cl reactlon. Sir Abdu RabJm took a lead over othen b7

uo. fbe BUl uas lntroctucad ln tbe councU on 7 AUgttSt 1928 ood after prolonged d1sellss 1on una pn.ssecl on 4 Sept~ 3928. MDAAl.Lm~ill"lftt GDWJSIJ. ~-esahvol. XXV t no. 1~ P• 380 aD no. , P• 1023. r t e b 1 see 'l.UGISA Quona, 12 Jul.Y 1928.

AZ1zul l~e, AbdU Reblnl, 4 September 3.928. DIKM ~~ .buU ~t vel. m, no. 2t PP• 0 •

Ibid., P• mas.

calling the Bengal MUslbn All Partles Conference on 23 Ueeember

1928 ln Calcutta to define the attitude of the Bengali MUslims

to the Nehru Report. Whlle welcoming the delegates Sbaheed

subrawardy, Chairman of Reception Committee, emphasized tha

need for an united front among the MUslims and expressed the

hope that the Conference would be a permanent body whlch would

sit from time to t1me. While presiding over lt Abdur Rahim saldt

The Mahommedans ot Bengal have a special grievance w1th regard to the number of seats now alloted to them. They form about 50 p.c. of the population and the southborough Committee 1nsp1te of the protests of the Government of I.nd1a gave them 40 p.c. of the elected seatsl proceeding on the baSis ot the tucknow Pact n which, as the Mahommedans all over India now admit, the MUssalmans of Bengal bad received very unfair treatment. we insist that this injustice be remembered and that either 55 per cent of the seats be reserved for them through separate electorates or that at least Mahommedan constituencies be formed in that proportion. ll3

A few of the important demandS adopted by the Conference werea

(l) That the future Constitution of India should be on the

basiS of responsible Government with Dominion Status under the

Br1t1sh Crown and should be in the form of a fUlly autonomous

statea (2) that representation in legislatures should continue

to be by means of separate electorates as at present; and (3)

that any territorial redistribution that mlgbt at any ttme be

necessary should not in any way affect the Moslem maj~rity tn

the Punjab, Bengal, North-western Provinces, Sind and 114

Baluchistan. A few days later, When the session of All India

Masl~ League and All Indla Kh1lafat Conference were

113. The Statft§ptan, 24 December l92Se

U4. Ib1d•

simultaneously being held 1n Calcutta dUring 28-30 December

1928, the followers of Abdtu• Rahim and Suhra~tardy trled to

create trouble there. While the Bengal Kb1lafat Committee

and Punjab Kbllafat Committee had expressed tbelr opinion 1n

favour of the Nehru Report, the Central Kh11afat Committee 11.5

under All Brothers came out strongly against the Nehru Report.

fbey were supported by A bdur Bah 1m and Suhrawardy.

Tbe efforts of Abdur Rabim were mainly directed towards

denying the All India Musl~ League tbe representative

character lt claimed and ensuring that the Bengal ltusllms'

interests were not ignored in any talk about tbe fUture

constitution. However, this discuss ion on the future consti­

tutional set-up made one thing very clear. 7he school ot

\thought Abdur Rah!m represented wa.s not prepared to compromise

on tbe question of the oonstltut1onal pos1t1on of the MU.sllm

maJority 1n Bengal, either for the sake of H1ndu-Musl1m unity,

or for the sake of Muslim interests outside Bengal. The

deliberation of tba All Parties Convention 1n Calcutta and

at All Parties Mltsl1m Conference at Delh1 and the special

session of the League at Delhi in March 1929 oont~ed the

success of this poup. That ln the Punjab and Bengal, in tbe

event of adult suffrage not being established tbe votlbg

ratio of Muslims should be in accordance with their population ll.6

in the province, became the accepted creed of the Indlan MUsltms.

116. Please see the account of All India Kh1lafat Conference, and that of .Bengal Kh1lafat Committee meetings in IQdiAQ QU~t~~~y Begistgr, vol. II, July-December 1928, PP• 402-8.

116. Resolution passed at the SubJects Committee of Special Session of League at Delh1, Marob 1929. :;atg f'QSQif1nq o4 AJ,;a, P&£Sf.&tl NatlQna.l C0Mmnt&AD (Allahabadt n.d:, p.l?.

It found place in 31Dileb's fourteen polots, the particular

demand be1ng fo1'Dl\llate4 as followst

All Leg1slat\U'es 1n tbe country and otb&l' elected bodies shall be cout1tllte4 on the deflnlte pr1Gc1ple of adeqUate and effeot1ve r~prosentat1on of m1nor1t1es 1n eve•1 Prov1aee without reducing the maJority 1n any Provlac:e to a m111or1ty or EnTaD to eqt.ta11t1. U7

91

fhe iGQIBl MUslims were prepared to give up separate electorate

only U provision was made for adl.llt Slltfrage or reservation ot

seats ac-cording to tbel:r poptllatloa.

VII

Inslde Bengal Abdur Rahim's efforts nov vere 41reeted

towards uo1t1ng the MuslJm representat1ves tiho were expected

to oppose all the moveD of the Government that went against

MWJllm interests 1n Bengal. He sought to effect unlt7 not on

tbe basia of co-ope~a.t1on ulttl the Government bUt on the basls

of premoting comma.ll1t71 s interests. Alresd1 a aoot1on ot Beqal

Muslims earried a. resolution 1n the session of the All India

MUslim League at Cal.Clltta in Deoember 1928 condemn1ag the

~eftallOl' Amendment Blll. 'fbe resolUtion 1atrod\1ce4 by AZ1Zu1

Huq, AUH alA&, salttc

All Ind1o. Moslem League 11 emphatleally ot opinloB that the provisions rel.atlq to the grant of tUvtber r1gbts to the landlords of Bengal 1n tho Bengal Tenancy Amendment BUl by the lntroductlon of pre-emption and Salami are extremely detrimental to tho rural population ln the Presidency of Bengal and the League ••• appeals to H 1s EX<lellenov tbe Go Vel'~ of BeQgal for vithhol41ng his &Ssent to the Bill t1ll tbese two prov1s1ons are reconsidered by the CouncUa ll8

111. lad.kba .~z J.te&Jiter~l92Bt vol. x, JanuarY-June, p.aaa. llB. }&lft~t l. January l9a9. See also Ptrzada., De 38,

vol. t P• 161.

~hls concern tor the peasaots alld cultlveto~ta, SO pe! cent of

the l4US11ms belonging to this class, from now onward became a

dom1nant trend in the MUslim politics in BeQSa.l.

ea

After tbelr expe.vlance in tbe session of All Xnd1a Mus 11m

League• All India Kbllafat Coaferance 1n December l92S and

Special League session 1o !~ch 1929 at Delhi, wh1cb ended in

• pande.monlum• the Bengal leaders turned their gaze to Bengal

and attempted to organl.ae a pvely prov1nolal party wh1eb would

look after tbe interests of Bengal l·ftlsl1ms. on 22 April 1929

the Governor dissolved the legislature as no ministry was found U9

stable. A fresh eleatlon was held in Juae 1929. on the eve

ot the new session (wb1eb started on a Jal1 1929) tbe 27 MUslim

members of the existing t.WSl!m parties 1n the Councll on l. July

bald a conference in Calcutta and decided to .form Bengal MUslJm

Council Aasoc1at1on to advance the cause of tbe community ln the

legislature. Simultaneously 1n the conference another part.ft

namely, fellaDts Party was formed at the suggestion of Fazlul 1m

H\tq and wblcb the member ot the former assoe1at1oQ could join.

In the counc11 this ~eaant Party under the leadG1'Sb1p of FaZlu1

Huq sat separately as a separate. Muallm bloc away from tho lal

MUsllm members wo cooperated with the Oovel'OJDent. Tbis became

the l\lUCleus of Nikbll Banga iraJa samlty.

93

tbe N1kh11 Baaga Pra3e. sam1ty was formed in 1929. AbtluJP

Re.b1m became lts Presldent aJld l-taula.na Moha:nm&.4 Akrom Ehan tts

aeerete»y. ~taulv1 MuJ 1bUr Rabman, Abdul Karim, Faalul Hllq0

Dr. Abdttlla SubmWAl'dy, IH1an Babadur Abdul Momen 11ere elected

1ts V1oe-Pres1dents and Malllv1 Gba.msllddln Abmad and Me.ulvl 122

tamlzuddin KbaD uere elected jolct secretaries. !bls 1dentlo

fieatlon of the Muslim leaders w1tb the 1nte:rests of ttto I

peasants and cmltlvators brougbt polnr1sat1on 1n Bengal

pol1t1cs not onl1 between H1n4tls and MuslSms but also betwoon

zamindan and peasants. In Bengal, due to the cnc1st1Dg economlc

conditions a clear cut d1v1&1on existed in soo!et1 between Hindu

zamlndars end MUslim peasaots and the holdiog of •Pre,Ja Sammelans'

uh1ch atme4 at consol1dat1ng the Prajas witb a view to protecting

tbelr rights a.n4 1nterosts against tu zam1ndars' enereacbment

helped the powtb of thls polar1sat1on. Now from th1rtles

onwards tbe Musl~ leaders and o11te cbampionod their caase

and tbts developed 1n course of time into PraJa Andolan in

Bengal uftder MWJ11m leadership.

In the Leglslataro, with the wlthdrawal of the SWaraJ

Party 1n early 19309 tb.o ~verotllOnt no more needed tho support

of the Mtlalim members fer ever7 bit of leg1slat1ve worko At

the same time 1t was not sure whether 1ts laterests 1.iOU1d be

saved by pol1t1ctslng the peasant~,. fbe Government tberafOFe

co\lld eas 1ly dlscar4 A bdur Rabm and Fezl.Ul m&q who were never

aga1n made ministers or councillors. f1le Government now

patl'on1se4 man 111m Nawab ltbwaJa. H&aimu.ddia 11 Nawab K.G.M., Farooki,.

Nawab A.K. Gbuznav1, who were not likely to go astray (from

the Government's polot of vlw) w1tb the currents of political

movement. ~his appeared more 1mperat1ve ln the taco of C1v11

Dlso bed1ence Movement started by the congress ln 1930 nad the

resurrection of terrorist act1v1tles leading to the famous Chlttagong Armoury Raid 1n 1930. Since December l929 uben the

oftlclal announcement proclaimed the revival of Dyarchy tor the

tltth tlme ln Bengal, Kbwa3a Nazlmud41n (later on elevated to

Knighthood) cont1nued as el ther Minister or as sxecutlvo

Counc111or tlll l937 Wben Prov1ne1al Autonomy came into

operation. Fazlul HLtq vas also selee~dt alongwltb A.U.GhwsBBVlt

es representative to the aound Table Conferences ubere thef 128

strongly supported separate electorate for the Musl~.

':fhe COlJllliQD.al Awar4 (AUgUSt .1932) by Ramsay Macclonald

and the d1ametr1oally oppose« attitudes of the Hindus al'lcl

Ml.tslims towards 1t put a seal oo tho polarisation 1n Sengal

po11t1cs on communal lines Vb1eh had been growing all these

JSar-s. ~o commWlal Avard increased MUslJm representation trom

39 seats 1n an Assembl1 ot l.39 members \tndor 1919 Act to 1m

seats ( 1oolucl1ag two seats tor Muslim women and l for Dacca

Unlverslty) ln an Assembly of 250 members under 1938 Act. one

hundred eleven new seats create« Wlder new franob1se bad bean

dlv1ded among MUslims, sabod~&led castes a-nd ~ropeans (their

representation 1ncreased from 16 seats 1n the earlier legls-124

latt1re to 25 seats under tbe new Aet) • !be pos1t1on as lt

123. Emgu«,ea gf Sbl 1DIIIAD i19U4 ~~ con:vaua, 12 Novem r 1930 .. l9 January l9 l Locd.on, l931) , P• 12.

Please see tbd table opposite shou1ng the <11str1butloa ot Leg1slat1ve seats under 1936 Act.

fab1s J.

CoMQiiS&en g.( ~UW ~~~pdm: QpllliW'Wf!Qt; pg IQ43,a

%akWG'ta t t

• Gowaztal Speclel Seat-s

represectina different interests

39

(not reserved tor Hlrulus)

Reserved tor dUterent communi t1ea

• • Labour Unlver- women Commel'Ce

s1t1es

B 2 5 :W t •

48 t t t

• t

• t

I I I

liindU zmsiim A.L • : 2 :a 1 ' • Urban iia:rai

' l2 36 •

In.cnr = Indian Cbristiaa Ael. = ADglo•IndlaD

163 t t

Miis1Si sell. marc- *fn. caste peaD c·~ut.

ll? 30 u 2 ' •

3

96

finally stood as a. result et tha communal Avard was as follovss

ot tbe 250 seats 111 Bengal Legislature 781 of \lblch 30 wal'G

reserved for Sehedale4 Castes, uere general v1tb total H1n4U

popUlation including Scbedlitled Castes 2116701407 (Sabedulecl

Castes belag s, 124,926); 117 Jr1ohaume4en wltb total populntloD

211497,624J 3 Anglc-Indlarl w1th total populatioll 2?,6'13J u BUropean wltb total populat1oo of 20,89SJ and 2 In41an Chr1stlaD

wltb total population of 1,291 134. Besldes 39 seats ware glven

to the representatives of speelal interests 5 women (2 General,

2 t,fttsllm, 1 Anglo-Indian), 2 University (Calcutta and Dacca) •

5 Landholders, S LaboUl' aDd l9 Commerce aDd Industry (14 Ellro­

peaftt 4 General and 1 ~fU.Sllm Commerce) •

7he caste Hindus felt 1nd1gnaftt because there bad been a

heavy slicing of the percentage of representation wblcb tbey

en3oyecl as an advancecl and edUcated community eJ.l these years

slnce 1909. Tile .'~~Usllr:ls remained <i1ssa.t1s1'1ed becattSe they

got less number of seats than warranted by their number in

populat1oa. Remarked tbe AmrUg. NH Pg.££&&P

"'no must fl-allkly confess, lt has not fallen to our lot tor a long time ~o come across sucb a prepest.el'eus document as reaobecl our hand last evenS.ng •.. ln Bengal ottt of 200 members of the legislature only SO were alloted tor Hindu. l2S

"ftle Hindus have been singled out tor reduction ln theb

ropresentnt1on even below tbslr urmal population strength bJ'

A~ ~Vbt'£lka, edltol'lal, 17 AQgust 1932. In a nWD osuequent ed1torlals llke "Anglo-Moslem treatr't "Iconoclasts at work12 , rtTbe Whlte c.onsp1rac1", "Tbe Bentbal Clrculars"t the paper cr1t1clse4 the Br1t1sh attitude towardS the .Bangall UlndU.s. see alSO BJ.swaa, a. 66 t PP• 67• 7l.

9?

veightage being cast against them1•, sald Rablndranatb ~ore lS6

pres1dlng over a protest meet1ng at tbe Calcutta town Hall.

1'he Hindus one and ell re~ ected the communal Award

thougb a section of Congressmen ln Bengal acquiesced in the

"co-acceptance and no reject1onn resolution of the t~rking

Committee, later approved by the Bombaf session of the Congress

1n 1934. Aecordlng to the Am£1ta, ild'£ .euc&fat "An over­

Whelming majority of natlonallsts in the country looked upon

that resolution as a great blunder on the part of the Congress

leaders" and wanted them to revise S.t and tbus "rectify a

mistake wb1oh bids fair to produce a most deplorable eonse-l27

quence.8 !be HlndQS ln Bengal started an anti-Communal Awar4

ag1ta.tion whlcb brougbt a split 1n Bengal congress. J1tmeh, on

· the other hand, declareda "Provided the congress d1d not oarr1

on any 1ntans1ve eg1tat1on against the communal Award, the

Musltm w1ll be wllltng to and ready to loin them 1n thelr 128

attack on the Wblte Paper." Th1s undoubtedly represented

the feellngs of Bengal MUslims also.

All'eadl' the crystall1Za.t1on of plU'ely r«usllm polltlcs,

separate from Hlrtdu politics or Congress po11t1cs, bad resulted

1n a definite advantage for tne MUsl~ in Bengal. DUring tbe

period l92~33 a large numb&%' of rmlims were elected to the 129

Local and Un1on BoardS 1n the d1£ferent d1str1cts of Bengal.

1.26. AmrUa. WAE WE1iat 23 September 1932. A s1m11ar vlew was expressed by Re:manartda Chatter3ee, editor MQd•m IA¥.\IL

127. Am£1~1 ~aiM' P&Sr,\tm, 23 october 1934.

121. I'b14., 21 Juae 19M.

129. Momen, n.lto t P• 30.

98

Th1s 1\atber strengthened tbe s9lrlt of • sGlf-assetJ.on• among

them. !be pol1tioal 1dent1t1oat1on of the MUallms as a separat-e

entity was fUrther strengthened by a large number of agr1cttltural

an.d educational legislation which eminently benefitted the

rullms who were largel7 agrlculturlsts. In tna legislature,

no doubt, the Musl~ leadersb1p represented by landed arlstooracy

nont1nued to ctepee4 on Government patronage, but the !eftQ.Qts

Party tutder FaZllll Hllq and A bdur Rab1m extended qua11f1e4 support

to Goverament• s legislation btmet1tt1ng tba MUSltm commllnltr.

!be Government enacted a large numbor of legislation for

agr1cultnral raforms and extension of pr!mar1 education to the

rural areas wlth the support of Muslims, &aropean and loWer

caate Hindus. !be Bengal Tenancy Amendment Act 1928, Bengal

Rural Primary Sdacatloa Blll (1930), Bengal Munlo1pal Act

Amendment Blll ( 1938), Bengal Mone)'len4era• 8111 ( 1932), l30

Bengal Agrlculttlral Debtors• Bill '(1933) vere earrlecl

tbrougb the legislature wltb tho vehement opposltloa fltcm the

Ulada members lnslde the legislature and from H1ndU press

olttsldo.

These developments eonslderably shaped the polltlcal

attitudes of tbe t4Ullms an4 the Ulndttas the former stea4Uy

reallalng the Jmmense benetlt of their eomlog to power and

ut111alag the o4mln1atratlon fO~ the advancement of tbelr

community. Hlndu resentment at and opposltlon to some of the

measures beaa.t'1a1al to tbe Muslims appeared to the latter as

tho result of selfish attitudes of the vested interests. ~a

IU.ntius, on tbe otiler hWld, felt that the Government was

enr1ch1Dg the Muslims at their expense. 'lle C01llll11lna1 At.Jard put

a seal to these two distinct attitudes towara.s the po11tlca1

developments 1n .Beqal. It represented en atter tallure oc

the part of the U11ldt1 leadersblp wh1ch could not convlDce tbe

MUslims that their protests were not against tho MUsllma getst1ng

tbelr due sbare 1n Bengal but ag,a10Dt the excessive walgbtage

g1ven to the EUropeans at the cost ot Hindu representatives.

Both th9 Coagress aa.<l the League erit1ctsed tba aovero­

ment of Indla Act .1935 tholtgb on dl.tferent peandS. i'be Ul

Congress reJected the Act 8 1n 1ts entbetJ-1• but resolved to

coatest the election as 1t did not like to leave tbe entlro

fleld tor lts opponents. nte Leagtle, on the other band,

condemned the federal scheme bQt vas prepare4 to try tho 13a

provincial pal"t "tor what 1t was tiOrtb ...

thus, the evolution of MUslim poUtios in Bengal, A-em

1906 when the Par-t1t1oo. of Beqal flrst arousecl polltlaal

consciousness among them, particularly relatlng to tbtb

position as a ~ol'lty commullt.v, to tbe Act of l935, Wblcb

gave eoast1tut1onal guaraQtee to that position, was marked b7

tne attempts at selt•assert1on ot the community. 7ottardS the

elose of thls period a poslt1ve e"ltudo tovards the pol1t1ca1

developments in terms of acm1Dg to pouer and utillatng ths same

for the udvaneement ot the community crystallised. fhe growSJlg

polltlcal awareness ot the MUsl!ms and the polarisation between

Hindu pollt1cs and ~~sltm polities achieved during these decades

s 1gn1tled two thtqs. It mea.nt firstly that the MUslims were

seeking to assert tbelr rigbtflll place 1n tho society, economic

11fe and pol1t1cs or Bengal and, secondlY, tbat they were no more

prepared to depend entirely on government patronage, but were

deter.m1asd to organise their own strangtb and make a bld ro~

capturing power under the Aot of l93S. ~is was the s1tuat1on

on the eva or tbe elections or 1937, \fh1eh markecl the beginning

of a new chapter 1n tbe evolution or MUslim pol1t1cs in Bengal,

1n 11ne '"1tb a s1milar development 1n the rest of' tha countrr.