Partition of Bengal (1947)

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Comment by J on June 5th, 2023 at 1:29 pm

In 1947, when the two communities voted on remaining in India or joining Pakistan, it was the Hindus who voted for partition. The government of Bengal supported a unified, independent Bengal as a third state. The statement that hindus voted for the partition is clearly false given that Mohammed Ali Jinnah, then the league leader of the All India Muslim League demanded a partition as part of the settlement agreement when the British were discussing the independence of British India.

Comment by Jennifer Tanabe on June 12th, 2023 at 3:28 pm

Thank you for your comment. Indeed it is a confusing situation, given that Bengal had previously been partitioned and then reunited. In 1947 there were originally 3 options: join India, join Pakistan, or be an independent nation. Jinnah supported the independent nation option, while the majority of Muslim League opposed it. The independent nation idea was dropped, however, and when no agreement was reached a fourth option – partition – was added, and was adopted.
Given the complexity of the situation, the text of the article will be reviewed and clarified appropriately.
Thank you again for taking the time to help make NWE a valuable information resource.

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