Untold Facts

Bengali Romantics of Today Questioned about the Two Nation Theory of the 1940s

There is nothing much wrong to be romantics at personal level, particularly, at one’s youth having little maturity in knowledge and wisdom. There are romantics in every society; Bengalis are known to be little more than average elsewhere or even around.

Dhaka, however, can be proud of free media not free though of some romantic free lancers making bandwagon for issues, I am afraid, not fully comprehended. One such is about the Two Nation Theory of the 1940s spearheaded then by the All India Muslim League and its leaders including the top leader of the organization Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948) into its full fruition. Though the fruit obtained in 1947 was the truncated and moth-eaten territorial geographical map of the sovereign state of Pakistan, and despite the fact that the united territorial lone country map isolated from one another since the very beginning further distanced themselves into two separate and sovereign countries in 1971, the geographical nomenclatures and sizes remained the same, that some else rightly termed as three nation-states in the former British subcontinent.

Since 1971 some in Bangladesh just in full tune with the Delhi rulers began to argue that the 1971 war had sounded death knell to the Two Nation Theory and are being repeated by some others since then, but many others both India and Bangladesh do not subscribe to the death knell theory.

Indians have their own outlook for and against the proposition. Bangladeshis, except few romantic Bengalis, maintain different outlook about the matter for reasons very strong and not anything weak.

First, had the Two Nation Theory died in post 16th December 1971 Bangladesh, there could have been no valid ground for Bangladesh territory sustained as an independent country. The claim for rescinding theory by the romantics would have been realized had the truncated and moth-eaten geographical boundary of Bangladesh would end on the 16th December 1971, albeit, in full satisfaction of Brahminist India that would mean only one thing and that would have been full absorption of the Bangladesh territory with the ‘Mother India’. Unfortunately the overwhelming majority people of Bangladesh refused to relish the same pill. That the people and all the organs of the Bangladesh government have so long for the last four decades resisted the merger with the ‘Mother India’ is a clear proof that the Two Nation Theory have not died down here both in the structure of the State and in the minds of the overwhelming majority people. The presence of some romantics though could not be ruled out.

The romantics, I think, have another point to ponder about. Could there be chiefs of crucial national organizations of Bangladesh like Army, NSI, DGFI, etc be any non-Muslim not only right at this moment but even also in far distant period ahead? On the contrary, could there be in India of such appointments? Could the Indian central intelligence agency, R &AW, be headed by any Muslim in centuries ahead to come?
Some Muslim leaders of Jammu and Kashmir since over six decades now have been proponents against the Two Nation theory, but the majority people had the opposite stand; the net result is that Indian anti-two nation theory stalwarts had to keep nearly half a million Indian troops not only posted there but also continual killing of many innocent people though for the last two decades now but unfortunately not any gain they could secure in favor for their ‘one nation’ idea!

If one would recall back correctly with an inquisitive open mind one must discover that the proponent of the theory did so for strategic reason to secure minimum rights of the minority Muslims in the British Indian subcontinent that he could ensure through political movement having the theory in front of the common people. One may further discover correctly that the person had been a worker and leader of the All India Congress Party for nearly three decades before he joined the League and its leadership. He was further made ‘Quid E Azam’ or the Great Leader by Gandhi himself and Ambassador of Hindu Muslim Unity by another Congress leader Sarojini Naidu.

In Bangladesh, there had been some romanticism to obliterate the two nation theory at the beginning, but the end of the romantics had been unfortunate that replaced Bengali national identity (very much partial though) into Bangladeshi nation not only for the majority Muslims whose forefathers had curved out the geographical identity in 1947 but also in post 1975 period for all other smaller national identities, as well.

Neither in Pakistan nor in Bangladesh the pre 1947 vicious syndrome exist in post 1971 period but short of the continuation of the identity charted out then in 1947 in the division of the Himalayan subcontinent, neither country, much less the people could think of honorable survival in the clutches of the neo-imperialist Brahminist neighbor that had long ago swallowed and eaten up Junagargh, Manvador, Hyderabad and Sikim. Jammu and Kashmir had already been tried to be eaten but unfortunately not swallowed as yet. The main reason, the romantics may ponder about, being the living existence as of yet of the two nation theory of the 1940s.

The kind of romanticism in Bangladesh of the few mentioned above, in particular, may only bring disaster for the sovereign existence of Bangladesh.

Dr. M.T. Hussain