Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Based On this theory the resolution for partition of India to create separate home-land for the Muslims was adopted in 1940 in the All India Muslim League's annual session at Lahore. Just before the partition of India in 1947, some Muslim leaders of the then Bengal like Suhrawardy, Abul Hashem and lone Hindu Leader Sarat Bose worked for a united'.Independent Bengal. Bq.t the Hindus, led by Ghandhi and Nehru, vetoed the scheme and thus neutralized the last chance of keeping Bengal united. Had it materialized, it could have formed the basis for emergence of Bengalee nationalism. But the Hindus, who preferred Hindu nationalism, themselves gave final burial to the Bengali nationalism. Pakistan was created on the basis of Two Nation Theory Partition of India also led to partition of Bengal on the insistence of Congress. Bengal's Muslim majority area i.e.East Bengal joined Pakistan as its province named East Pakistan, while West Bengal, the Hindu majority area went with India. Thus there remained no chance for a nationalism based on language to take roots.The Bengali nationalism, however, did find currencyduring movement against Pakistani ruling junta. But in actual fact the separatism was an expression of regionalism; phenomenon also noticeable elsewhere. The people of East Pakistan felt deprived due to the expoitation and usurpation of their rights by an administration dominated by West Pakistanis. Their demand for emancipation found expression in Bengalee nationalism. This was purely in the context of Pakistan and at no stage the people intended to part with the Two Nation Theory. The emergence of Bangladesh is in consonance with Lahore Resolution of 1940. The resolution says, "It is the considered opinion of this session of the All India Muslim League that no constitutional arrangement would be workable or acceptable to the Muslims unless they would be based on the following principles viz. (a) that the contiguous geographic areas have to be demarcated as a region. (b) that the territorial adjustments should be such that the Muslim majority areas in the north-west and Eastern India should constitute independent states and that the states should be autonomous and sovereign". After the emergence of Bangladesh, RAW and its stooges have been relentlessly preaching that dismemberment of Pakistan has proved that the Two Nation Theory has failed. Once renunciation of Two Nation Theory is accepted reunification of India becomes obvious. Indians advise that Bangladesh should give up its Muslim identity and adopt so called Bengalee nationalism. RAW's aim In promoting Bengalee nationalism is to pave way for merger of Bangladesh into West Bengal. One may ask that why Hindus of West Bengal do nqt support Bengalee nationalism against Indian (Hindu) nationalism. Why the idea is being drummed to people of Bangladesh only? During the Pakistan period we used to be known as Bengalees on the basis qf race and language as we did not then have an independent country named Bangladesh. After the establishment of Bangladesh our territorial identity and sovereignty overrode the linguistic and racial identity. Bengali speaking Hindus and the Muslims could never become one nation in the past. Now that the ideological, cultural and political differences between the two have grown further, how can 'there be any rationale for a common Bengalee nationalism. Basant Chatterje, an Indian journalist said in his book 'Inside Bangladesh', "The Bengali language had been used as political weapon in the struggle against Pakistan and with the establishment of Bangladesh its usefulness had been exhausted. The Muslims had made no contribution to the culture called Bengalee culture which was essentially an upper caste

Hindu culture. It would be impossible for Bangladesh to preserve its sovereignty by insisting on the Bengaliness of its political chara1ter".Another problem with Bengalee nationalism is that it excludes those citizens of Bangladesh whose mother tongue is not Bengali. When Sheikh Mujib insisted' on tribal leaders of Chlttagong Hill Tracts, (CHT) to accept Bengalee nationalism, it back fired. RAW capitalized the issue and helped Chakmas to form Shanti Bahini which is continuing to wage armed movement for separation of CHT from Bangladesh. RAW's propagation and promotion of Bengalism is a conspiracy against the very foundations of Bangladesh which must be snubbed and neutralized with the contempt it deserves. ig