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East Bengal Politics April 30, 1955 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY ed. Many of them, however, are worsen and precipitate a crisis. It politics. Eastern Pakistan may yet still to be tooled, manned, and was this " rather uncertain back­ upset the Pakistani Governor-Gene­ brought into operation. Thus the ground ", in the words of the Eco­ ral's apple-cart. demand for capital goods has still nomist, which had led the Chan­ to be met and, more important, cellor into a fit of optimistic fore­ AWAMI LEAGUE SPLIT labour shortage will have to be casting of events. This optimism, solved (even with Lancashire work­ most unlike the Mr Butler of the It all started with the Pakistani ing short-time). past four years, has become the Governor-General's dissolution of In view of the foregoing, the focal point of attack for Labour the Constituent Assembly. Many indications are, as Mr Gaitskell, the Opposition. They have suggested laws and ordinances have since been Opposition expert, suggested, that that he is deceiving the nation in introduced. Legality of all of these the Chancellor was " not going to the hope of securing a Conservative are in question. It was wise of Mr get his increase in exports". And victory at the General Election. Ghulam Mohammed to refer these if this is to be a strong possibility, This charge may not be wholly un­ issues to the Federal Court, Its ver­ the balance of payments will justified. dict is now due. But these are issues which are not directly affect­ ing East Bengal's politics. Forma­ From the Calcutta End tion of the provinces of Western Pakistan into one unit, and the basis of representation of this unit East Bengal Politics and of the other unit of Eastern Pakistan to the Constitution Con­ vention are the problems which are AST BENGAL is, like tion to the " Urduisation" of that agitating Eastern Pakistan. E West Bengal, a problem State. State. Its cultural and linguistic Partition has made both the Bengals implications are stoutly resented. Mr Suhrawardy is the President problem States of the two neigh­ Its economic and administrative of all-Pakistan Awarni League. bouring nations. Some common associations cause frustration among Maulana Bhashani is the President reasons make both the Bengals prob­ the educated Muslims as they find of East Pakistan Awami League. lem States. West Bengal is an in­ that they are not masters in their East Pakistan Awami League is dustrialised State. But the present own home State. split on the issue of parity repre­ system of allocation of revenues sentation between the two units of Here the similarity ends-, and the prejudices this State's finances. Pakistan in the Constitution Con­ dissimilarity between the two Ben­ West Bengal's finances are poor. vention. Maulana Bhashani, its gals emerges. East Bengal's econo­ Its industries are decaying. Land President, has repeatedly expressed mic problems can be partially solv­ is scarce. So unemployment grows. his opinion in Calcutta that he ed by a freer flow of trade between Its people and the State suspect demands proportional representation the two Bengals. But its economy that New Delhi is biased against it in the Convention. Some of the suffers because of the measures members of the East Pakistan and them. undertaken at the initiative of Awami League have seceded to the West Bengal must expand or Karachi. Economic measures intro­ Huq Party. Three of its leaders perish. Its economy must expand. duced since the suppression of the came to Calcutta to persuade Mau­ Huq Ministry have created an arti­ It must also expand as a geogra­ lana Bhashani to go to Dacca. He ficial rise in raw jute prices in Cal­ phical entity. Both these are con­ has gone to Dacca with Mr Suhra­ cutta. Export and price controls troversial issues. Both these prob­ wardy, but he remains stubborn in and restrictions have not benefited lems are being complicated by the his demands. continued exodus of Hindus from the East Bengal jute grower much. East Bengal. Goalpara is an ugly But these irritating annoyances have reminder of the feeling of bitter­ revived the demand, in Calcutta's PARITY PRINCIPLE ness in this State. The mood is trade and industrial circles, for self- Only the East Pakistan Awami bitter, but not combative. This sufficiency in raw jute in this League supports parity of repre­ issue of boundary readjustment may country. sentation for the two wings of assume more alarming proportions. East Bengal's politics are as com­ Pakistan in the Convention. Mr If the Boundary Commission can plex as those of West Bengal. In Huq and his party are opposed to solve this problem, it would be per­ both the Bengals, the underlying this basis of representation. Mau­ forming a miracle. And miracles, economic circumstances influence lana Bhashani is oh record that he the non-believers say, do not happen the course of politics. But Eastern opposes the principle of parity in these days. Pakistan seems to have inherited representation. In the Press Con­ the former undivided Bengal's feel­ ference at Durn Dum airport, he COMPLEX POLITICS ing of resentment against the repeatedly intervened to counteract In East Bengal, the problem of Centre. This is the basic explana­ Mr Suhrawardy's arguments in boundary readjustment does not tion of the United Front's over­ favour of parity representation be­ arise. Land and space there are. whelming victory in the last elec­ tween Eastern and Western Pakis­ But there is no industry. There is, tions. This, again, explains the rift tan. There are reasons why even perhaps, not much of unemploy- in the United Front on the pro­ the East Pakistan Muslim League ment among East Bengal Muslims. posed Constitution Convention for does not endorse the parity prin­ But the Hindus there are suffering Pakistan, Mr H S Suhrawardy was ciple. East Pakistan's Congress from the consequences of deteriorat­ intimately familiar with undivided Assembly Party is opposed to the ing economy. Both Muslims and Bengal's politics. But he seems to Convention as well as its basis; of Hindus are ".'United in their opposi­ have lost totoch with East Bengali reprentation. 518 .
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