Seed of partition planted well before 1947 to fulfil political ambitions Tripura CM Manik Saha

Agartala, Aug 14 (PTI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday said the "seed of partition" was planted well before 1947, claiming it was part of a broader political strategy by certain leaders to achieve personal power.
    Speaking at the observance of Partition Horrors Remembrance Day at MBB College here, the CM asserted that the seed of partition was planted in 1906 when the Muslim League demanded a separate country for Muslims at its Dhaka conference.
    "It was Md Ali Jinnah who raised the demand for a nation for Muslims in 1937 saying that Hindus and Muslims can't live peacefully. By this time, the British had indicated that they would leave India after World War II", he claimed.
    Saha blamed the British for infusing hatred between the Hindus and Muslims by using their well-crafted strategy of divide and rule.
    "The infamous riots in Kolkata (then Calcutta) and Noakhali had intensified the division between two communities and the British orchestrated the hatred", he said.
    Saha claimed the Congress in its Ramgarh conference in 1940 had constituted a committee to prepare a constitution for India.
    "Soon after, the Muslim League intensified its demand for the creation of Pakistan. By this time, the Congress had launched the Quit India movement to drive out the British", he added.
    "Although Syama Prasad Mookerjee was against partition, eventually he accepted it with a demand to divide Bengal to safeguard the interests of Hindu Bengalis," he said, adding that West Bengal would have been part of present day Bangladesh had Mookerjee not raised his voice.
    "Partition did not happen suddenly. The idea was sown well before 1947 and was carried out to fulfill the political ambition of some people who wanted to become the prime minister", he said.
    Saha claimed that Hindu population in Pakistan and Bangladesh has reduced alarmingly over the years as they were denied safety and security.
    "But India has kept its promise of providing safety and security to Muslims and has more people of the community than Pakistan. It shows Muslim population is safe in India", he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)