Partition of Bengal: Significance in Pakistan Movement

Introduction

Announced on July 19, 1905, the Partition of Bengal was the territorial reorganization of the Bengal Presidency of British India by Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India. While partitioning Bengal into two new provinces of manageable size — East and West Bengal—Lord Curzon, known for administrative efficiency, was not specifically aiming to divide Hindus from Muslims.

However, it so happened that the new province of East Bengal, with a population of thirty million and Dacca as its capital, became a Muslim-majority province. On the other hand, West Bengal with a population of 54 million and Calcutta as its capital, turned out to be a Hindu-majority province

Apparently, it was done for administrative convenience, yet it did have socio-political and economic motives. Consequently, its political fallout resulted in its annulment in 1911.

Reasons for Partition of Bengal

There were several reasons for carrying out the partition of this province.

1. Administrative Justification: Extending over 1,89, 000 square miles with a population of 80 million, this largest province of British India, comprising Bengal, Behar, and Orissa, was under the control of one lieutenant Governor. It was simply impossible for him to govern it effectively and efficiently; no lieutenant governor was able to take a tour of the whole province due to its vastness even once in his tenure. These administrative difficulties were compounded by the paucity of limited sources of communication in the provinces due to rivers and forests. The law and order situation in the provinces was also worse due to insufficient police and inefficient management.
2. Natural Division: There were vast ethnic and linguistic differences between West Bengal and East Bengal. This ethnic division incidentally coincided with religious affiliations; while East Bengal was overwhelmingly Muslim, West Bengal had a Hindu majority. The natives of West Bengal considered themselves superior in civilization to the residents of East Bengal.
3. Vested Interests of the British: Besides improving the effectiveness and efficiency of governance, the division of Bengal was needed at the time to develop trade in East Bengal and promote the Port of Chittagong to reduce the costs of transporting and exporting raw materials from this part of India. Similarly, the British rulers of India also had a political angle to this plan of partitioning Bengal; they had not forgotten the 1857 uprising that started in Bengal and engulfed vast areas of British India. To obviate the possibility of any such event in the future, they thought it prudent to divide it into two provinces.
4. Mollifying Muslims: After the cataclysmic events of 1857, the Bengali Muslims suffered the worst kind of economic, social, and political discrimination for their alleged role in the uprising. Realising that the pendulum might have gone too far on the far side, the British decided to mainstream them to obviate the possibility of any rebellion. The British were not oblivious to the grave consequences of the marginalisation of a significant section of society.
5. Bureaucratic Interests: The creation of new districts always leads to the creation of new posts for the bureaucrats; creating a whole new province was a bonanza for the British bureaucracy, who were very enthusiastic supporters of this partition as they were eyeing the new posts being created to manage the new province.

Muslims’ Response

With few exceptions, the Partition of Bengal received a favourable response from the Muslims, who welcomed the Partition of Bengal for the following reasons:

1. Economic Advancement: Although Hindus had been dominant in finance even during Muslim rule, they were able to occupy the administrative posts after the 1857 War of Independence. Consequently, the Bengali Muslims were confident that after getting their own province, they would be able to progress economically. They would get opportunities for services and the advancement of agriculture. And it proved true; by 1911, the position of Bengali Muslims in East Bengal and Assam had improved. As opposed to one-eighth of the 1,235 higher appointments in 1901, Muslims in 1911 occupied almost one-fifth of the 2,305 gazetted appointments held by Indians
2. Socio-cultural Enhancement: The Bengali Muslim elite was acutely aware of the degradation of their Muslim Bengali culture. It was being systematically marginalised by Bengali Hindu culture. The city of Dacca, where Muslims were in the majority, was the centre of Muslim culture. They, therefore, thought it was the right step to preserve their cultural heritage in an independent province.
3. Political Empowerment: They were also hopeful that with their own province, they would not only be politically empowered but that their overall position and status would be enhanced at the national level. Up until then, it was the Bengali Hindus who represented Bengal at the national level

Hindus Response

While the Bengali Muslims overwhelmingly supported the partition plan, the Hindus opposed the move tooth and nail for multiple reasons.

1. Loss of Economic Power: Due to historical reasons, the Hindus had an exclusive hold on the economic, social, and political life of the whole of Bengal. Being financially well-off and economically dominant, the Hindus could not afford to lose the vastly captured market and the sources of their wealth easily. Similarly, the Hindu lawyer community raised a maximum hue and cry because they thought that the new province would have its own courts, and thus their practice would be affected. And not to forget the press, which is under the control of Hindu businessmen. They were afraid that new newspapers would be established, which would decrease their income naturally.
2. Plot against Bengali Nationalism: The intellectual elite of Hindus in West Bengal regarded the partition as an attempt to strangle nationalism in Bengal, where it was more developed than elsewhere. They started an organised agitation against the partition by holding mass meetings, causing rural unrest, and re-invigorating the Swadeshi (native) movement to boycott the import of British goods. When the partition was carried through despite the agitation, the extreme opposition went underground to form a terrorist movement.
3. Slippery Slope Argument: They called it a deliberate attempt by the British Government to curb Bengali nationalism as a part of overall Indian nationalism. To them, it was one of the British policies of Divide and Rule, and they feared that if successful, it would lead to the division of many other provinces where the situation was almost the same. Interestingly, Lord Curzon had previously created a separate Muslim-majority province, the North-West Frontier Province, out of the united Punjab
4. Opposition for Opposition Sake: The Partition of Bengal had brightened the possibility of the betterment of Muslims; keeping in view the acrimonious relations between the two communities, it was but natural for the Hindu landlords, capitalists, and traders to shun this prospect of the other community becoming their equal.

Annulment of the Partition

When Lord Hardinge assumed charge as Governor-General of India, Hindus again became active and sent a representation to him for the annulment of the partition of Bengal. He recommended the same to the British Prime Minister for Indian Affairs. On the occasion of His Majesty George V's visit to the Subcontinent, and the holding of Darbar at Delhi on December 12, 1911, the partition of Bengal was cancelled. The united Bengal was placed under a governor, and Assam was placed under a Chief Commissioner.

Reasons for the Annulment of the Partition of Bengal

There were several reasons why the British were forced to retract their plan.

1. Severity of Hindu Opposition: The British were unable to correctly foresee the severity of the opposition shown by the Hindus. Lord Curzon who had initiated the plan, was on his way out; with his ouster, the partition plan lost the support of its champion
2. Loss of Revenue: When Gandhi re-invigorated the Sawdeshi movement by boycotting the purchase of British products, it had a ripple effect down the line in the UK. The British exporters and manufacturers, seeing the loss of their profits, started lobbying for the annulment
3. Arrival of King George V: Finally, it was the impending visit of King George V to India for which the British needed the cooperation of all the communities. The Congress seized the initiative and demanded the annulment of the Bengal Partition as a quid pro quo for their participation in the Delhi Darbar. The British Indian government had no option but to bow to their demand

Consequences

Like any momentous event, the Partition of Bengal and its subsequent annulment had a far-reaching impact on the political landscape of British India

1. Bengali Muslim Separatism: The Bengali Muslims, having benefitted from the partition, were angry and disappointed when the partition was annulled. Although they had already started considering themselves a separate nationality after the economic, political, and administrative discrimination by the British, the annulment of the partition convinced them that they were a separate nation from the Hindus, who had wholeheartedly opposed the plan, which was in favour of Muslims. This resentment remained throughout the rest of the British period. That is why Bengali Muslims played such a dominant and leading role in the Pakistan Movement. The final division of Bengal at the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, which split Bengal into India in the west and East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) in the east, can be traced ultimately to this annulment decision of 1911.
2. Formation of Muslim League: One of the direct consequences of the annulment of the partition of Bengal was the need for creating a formal political organisation to not only counter the Indian National Congress but also to provide a platform for the Muslims of India to articulate and aggregate their demands
3. Agitational Politics: This decision was a shattering blow to Muslims. It left them sullen and disillusioned. Their anger and indignation had widespread repercussions. The Muslim leaders and intelligentsia condemned the decision as a betrayal of the worst kind. Bengali Muslims learnt the importance of constitutional struggle but also the need to learn agitational politics, as they realised that ultimately it was the agitations that resulted in its annulment. That is why Bengali Muslims were at the forefront of the Pakistan Movement
4. Accelerated Indian Muslim Separatism: Besides accelerating Bengali Muslim separatism, the annulment of the partition of Bengal also led to the acceleration of separatist tendencies among Indian Muslims. The Muslims of India appreciated the step and started turning in favour of the British, but the British soon gave in against the mounting pressure of Hindus, which helped the Muslims to realize the importance of standing on their feet and organising themselves politically. It also affirmed the apprehension of Sir Syed that the Muslims might submerge in the majority of Hindus and lose their separate identity
5. Transformed Congress: It began a transformation of the Indian National Congress from a middle-class pressure group into a nationwide mass movement. Nationalists all over India supported the Bengali cause, and were shocked at the British disregard for public opinion and what they perceived as a “divide and rule” policy. The protests spread to Bombay, Poona, and Punjab. Lord Curzon believed that Congress was no longer an effective force but provided it with a cause to rally the public around and gain fresh strength. In ‘Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600–1947’, Denis Judd wrote:

“Curzon had hoped… to bind India permanently to the Raj. Ironically, his partition of Bengal, and the bitter controversy that followed, did much to revitalize Congress. Curzon, typically, dismissed the Congress in 1900 as ‘tottering to its fall’. But he left India with the Congress more active and effective than at any time in its history.

From the book “ Milestones of Pakistan Movement: 1857–1947”

Milestones of Pakistan Movement: 1857–1947

Thanks for reading the article. If you like it, kindly show it by clicking the clap icon as many times as you like, and sharing it with your friends on social media

You are welcome to contact me at my Twitter account @Shahid_H_Raja for any assistance.