বাংলাকে ষ্টেট ল্যাঙ্গুয়েজ করার ব্যাপারে বঙ্গবন্ধু
৭ ফেব্রুয়ারি ১৯৫৬
করাচী
The constituent assembly of Pakistan:
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Sir, in supporting my amendment, I would like to draw your attention to the clause of the Draft Constitution itself. It says: “It shall be the duty of the Federal and Provincial Governments to take all possible measures for the development and growth of a National Language.” At another place, they have again said that: “The official languages of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall be Urdu and Bengali.’ But you will notice, Sir, that in the present clause under consideration they say that all possible measures for the development and growth of a national language will be taken by the Federal and Provincial Governments. I would specially like to draw your attention to the words ‘a national language’ and, Sir, this seems to be very dangerous. Sir, the other day the Foreign Minister went to Dacca and he declared in a Press Conference that the official language means State language. During the British regime, English was also the official language and we also used Bengali as one of the official languages. We in Bengal, by official language, do not mean State languages.
(Honourable Deputy Speaker: Do you know that there are three terms used in this connection – ‘State’, ‘official’ and ‘nation’?)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Anyhow, Sir, there was some ulterior motive in keeping these words ‘official language’. Even if there was not any ulterior motive – take it for a moment – but in his Press Conference at Dacca, the Honourable Foreign Minister told that Urdu and Bengali shall be the official languages of Pakistan and a provision had been made to that effect in the Draft Constitution.
(Honourable Deputy Speaker: Why are you pressing this amendment? The Honourable Foreign Minister has already stated that he intends to oppose the inclusion of this clause in the Bill.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: There is no question of taking any advantage. But if that be your view, I say, yes, I take advantage of this. When you were a Minister in Bengal in 1948 and when I started the State language movement, you asked your police to lathi charge me and I know my feeling about this question because I was lathi charged by your police and also I was sent to jail.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Yes, Sir, I know it. I am addressing the Honourable Member through the Chair. He is also one of the Members of the House. I also went to bring it to the notice of the Honourable Members of this House through you and convince them of my argument so that they may accept my amendment.
Honourable Deputy Speaker: Amendment to what?
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: God knows, when that another clause is coming before the House and amendments may come tomorrow that it is not a State language. We must be clear here and that is why I have provided it categorically here in my amendment that ‘it shall be the duty of Federal and Provincial Governments to take all possible measures for the development and growth of the two State languages, namely, Bengali and Urdu’. We must take all necessary steps immediately for the development and growth of these two State languages. Sir, Bengali is the mother tongue of the major population of Pakistan and I am prepared to give you history if you wish. Sir, in the areas then forming part of Sind, Baluchistan, Punjab, Frontier, Bahawalpur etc. Urdu was the medium of instructions. In East Bengal, it is Bengali only that is the spoken language of the people. While here in West Pakistan, we will find Urdu-speaking people, Sindhi speaking people and Pushtu and Punjabi-speaking people. But there the population as a whole which is about 56 per cent of the total population of Pakistan is Bengali-speaking. So, in view of these reasons, I cannot understand what is this controversy. Why they do not end it? Why they are trying to twist things and their intention is to twist everything and give a bluff to the people. They have ulterior motives in everything and they try to twist every thing as they have been doing during all these eight years and bluffing this poor country of mine. This is my point, Sir, Why do they not accept my amendment immediately?
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: How can you say that, Sir? It still exists. This clause may be omitted and our amendment may be accepted for that, or they can bring another one by arrangement with us and by mutual understanding. It cannot be done like that. Tomorrow they may bring another clause. So it is better that they put in my amendment here. They can accept it if they believe in the form of democracy, and if they are sincere. They cannot do without it. They have got to accept this demand of the people and now to save their skin they are going to accept Bengali as one of the State languages of Pakistan. They have got to do it because the people are behind it. If they had not done that God knows what would have happened to them and time is coming very soon when they will have to accept each and every demand of the people. This is the demand of the people, of everyone – little boys and girls, men and women, male and female and everybody in East Pakistan wants to get this amendment that Bengali and Urdu should be the State languages of Pakistan from today and onwards.
Reference:
Iqbal, S. (1997) Sheikh Mujib in Parliament (1955-58), p. 166-169, Dhaka, Agami Prakashani