University of Virginia Library

Independent Bengali

For centuries before the establishment
of the British rule in India, Bengal was
independent of the control of the Indian
emperor. The emperor's hold on that
eastern kingdom was sporadic and seldom
amounted to more than
acknowledgement of the emperor's
suzerainty by the king of Bengal. West
Pakistan was seldom independent of the
control of the emperor.

There were a few strong currents
which developed within the stream of the
Indian independence movement during
the British rule. One of these currents was
the demand for independence without
dividing India, and still another was the
demand for a separate state in Bengal.

The last demand was made by both
the Hindus and Muslims of Bengal.
Without the support of the Bengali
Muslims, the demand for a Muslim
state Pakistan was bound to fail
because the Bengali Muslims were
persuaded to support the Pakistan
demand on the express agreement that