পাকিস্তান গণপরিষদের অধিবেশনে ১৯৪৮ সালের ২৫শে ফেব্রুয়ারী সংশােধনী প্রস্তাব উত্থাপনের জন্য পরিষদ সভাপতির অনুমােদন নিয়ে ধীরেন্দ্রনাথ দত্ত নিম্নোক্ত বক্তব্য উত্থাপন করেন।
Mr. Dhirendranath Datta : May I speak, Sir?
Mr. President: Yes speak.
Mr. Dhirendranath Datta : Sir, In moving this the motion that stands in my name. I can assure the House that I do so not in a spirit of narrow Provincialism, but, Sir in the spirit that this motion receives the fullest consideration at the hands of the members. I know, Sir, that Bengalee is a provincial language, but, so far our state is concerned, it is the language of the majority of the People of the state. So although it is a provincial language, but as it is a language of the majority of the people of the state and it stands on a different footing therefore. Out of six crores ninety lakhs of people inhabiting this State. 4 crores and 40 lakhs of people speak the Bengalee language, So, Sir, what should be the State language of the State? The State language of the state should be the language which is used by the majority of the people of the State, and for that, Sir, I consider that Bengalee language is a lingua franca of our State. It may be contended with a certain amount of force that even in our sister dominion the provincial language have not got the status of a lingua franca because in her sister dominion of India the proceedings of the constituent Assembly is conducted in the Bengalee language but so far as the Bengalee is concerned out of 30 crores of people inhabiting, that sister dominion two and a half crores speak the Bengalee language. Hindustani, Hindi or Urdu has been given and honoured place in the sister dominion because the majority of the people of the Indian Dominon speak that language. So we are to consider that in our state it is found that the majority of the People of the state do speak the Bengalee language than Bengalee should have an honoured place even in the Central Government.
I know, Sir, I voice the sentiments of the vast millions of our State. In the meantime I want to let the House know the feelings of the vastest millions of our State. Even, Sir, in the Eastern Pakistan where the People numbering four crores and forty lakhs speak the Bengalee language the common man even if he goes to a Post Office and wants to have a money order form finds that the money order is printed in Urdu language and is not printed in Bengalee language or it is printed In English. A Poor cultivator, who has got his son Sir, as a student in the Dhaka University and who wants to send money to him, goes to a village Post Office and he asked for a money order form, finds that the money order form is printed in Urdu language. He can not send the money order but shall have to rush to a distant town and have this money order form translated for him and then the money order, Sir, that is necessary for his boy can be sent. The poor cultivator, Sir, sells a certain plot of land or a poor cultivator purchases a plot of land and goes to the Stamp vendor and pays him money but cannot say whether he has received the value of the money is stamps. The value of the Stamp. Sir is written not in Bengalee but is written in Urdu and English. But he cannot say, Sir, whether he has got the real value of the stamp. These are the difficulties experienced by the Common man of our State. The language of the state should be such: which can be understood by the Common man of our State. The common man of the State numbering four crores and four millions find that the proceedings of this Assembly which is their mother of parliaments is being conduct in a language, Sir, which is unknown to them. Then, Sit, English has got an honoured place, Sir, in Rule 29. I know, Sir, English has got and honoured place because of the International Character.
But, Sir, if English can have an honoured place in Rule 29 that the proceedings of the Assembly should be conducted in Urdu or English why Bengalee, which is spoken by four crores forty lakhs of people should not have honoured place. Sir, in Rule 29 of the procedure Rules, So, Sir, I know I am voicing the sentiments of the vast millions of our State and therefore Bengalee should not be treated as a Provincial Language. It should be treated as the language of the State. And therefore, Sir, I suggest that after the word English, the words ‘Bengalee be inserted in Rule 29.1 do not wish to detain the House but I wish that the Members present here should give a consideration to the sentiments of the vast millions of over State, Sir, and should accept the amendment that has been moved by me.
Mr. President: I may read out the amendment again some Members might not have it.
Amendment moved: That in sub-rule (1) of rule 29. After the word
‘English’ in line 2, the words ‘or Bengalee be inserted.”.
Mr. Prem Hari Barma (East Bengal: General): Sir, I whole-heartedly support the amendment moved by my Hon’ble and esteemed friend. Mr. Dhirendranath Datta. Sir, this amendment does not seek to oust English or Urdu altogether but it seeks only to have Bengalce as one of the media spoken in the Assembly by the members of the Assembly. So, it is not the intention of the amendment altogether to oust English or Urdu, but to have Bengalee also as the lingua franca of the State Sir, as my Honourable friend has told the House, the Majority of the people of the State of Pakistan speaks Bengalee, Therefore, Bengalee must find a place as one of the media in which the Members can address the Assembly. Another difficulty will be that if any member speaks in his mother tongue, but if it is not one of the media in which the members can address the House, the true speech will not be recorded, but only a translation of the speech in the proceedings of the House will be recorded. Therefore, it is necessary for the majority of the people of the State that the speeches which will be delivered in Bengalee should be recorded in Bengalee. With these few words I support the amendment moved by Mr. Dhirendranath Datta.
The Hon’ble Mr Liaquat Ali Khan (Prime Minister and Minister for Defence): Mr. President, Sir, I listened to the Speech of the Hon’ble the Mover of the amendment with very great care and attention. I wish the Hon’ble member had not moved his amendment and tried to create misunderstanding between the different parts of Pakistan. My Honourable friend has waxed eloquent and stated that Bengalee should really be the lingua franca of Pakistan. In other words, he does not want Bengalee only to be used as a medium of expression in this House, but he has raised indeed a very important question. He should realise that Pakistan has been created because of the demand of a hundred million muslims in this sub-continent and the language of a hundred million Muslims is Urdu and therefore, it is wrong for him now to try and create the situation that as the majority of the people of Pakistan belongs to one part of Pakistan, therefore, the language which is spoken there should become the State language of Pakistan Pakistan is a Muslim State and it must have as its lingua franca the language of the Muslim nation. My Honourable friend is displeased that Urdu should replace English. The intention is that instead of changing English as the State language which it has been so long, Urdu should be the state language, Sir, my Honourable friend never minded it, never presed for Bengalee as long as English was the state language. I never heard in the Central Assembly for years and years any voice raised by the people of Bengal that Bengalee should be the State language. I want to know why is this voice being raised today and I am sorry that he should feel it necessary to bring in this question. We do recognize the importance of Bengalee. There is no intention to oust Bengalee altogether from Bengal. As a matter of fact, it would be. wrong for anyone to thrust any other language on the people of a province which is not their mother tongue, but at the same time, we must have a State language the language which would be used between the different parts of Pakistan for inter-provincial Communications, then, Sir, it is not only the population you have to take into consideration. There are so many other factors. Urdu can be the only language which can keep the people of East Bengal or Eastern Zone and the people of Western Zone jointed together. It is necessary for a nation to have one language and that language can only be Urdu and no other language.
Therefore, Sir, I am sorry, I cannot agree to the amendment which has been moved. As a matter of fact, when the notice of that amendment was given, I thought that the object was an innocent one. The object to include Bengalce was that in case there are some people who are not proficient in English or Urdu might express their views in that language, but I find now that the object is not such an innocent one as I thought it was. The object of this amendment is to create a rift between it was. The object of this amendment is to take away from the Mussalmans that Unifying force that brings them together.
Mr. Dhirendranath Datt: Certainly not that is not the intention. Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan: My Honourable friend may go on questioning for the rest necessary for the people of Bengal- Bengalee-speaking People to have remained united ? No, because it was to be a State where Mussalmans were in a majority. Therefore, Bengal must be divided. There was no question of Bengalee language of Bengalee culture taken into consideration at that time. The Hon’ble Sardar Abdur Rab Khan Nishtar: (Minister for Communications): The Hon’ble Member voted for division
Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan: Anyhow I am not concerned with that part of it. I think it is wrong for my Honourable friend to raise that question. It is really that most vital question, a question of life and death for the Muslim nation, not only for Pakistan. But through out this whole subcontinent and I most strongly oppose the amendment which has been moved. I hope the House will not lend its support to such a kind of amendment.
এই ধীরেন্দ্রনাথ দত্তই ১৯৪৭ সালে বঙ্গীয় প্রাদেশিক ব্যবস্থাপক পরিষদে Sarat Bose-H.S.Suhrwahdy-Abul Hasham-Burrows-Kiron Sankar Ray-Jogendranath Mandal-এর অখন্ড স্বাধীন বঙ্গ প্রতিষ্ঠার প্রয়াসের বিরুদ্ধে-গান্ধী-নেহেরু-পেটেল, শ্যামা প্রসাদ মুখার্জীর হিন্দু বাংলা প্রতিষ্ঠার পক্ষে ভােট দিয়েছিলেন। ফলে স্বাধীন অখন্ড বঙ্গের ভুলে হিন্দু পশ্চিমবঙ্গ প্রতিষ্ঠিত হয়। এটাই তাদের অসাম্প্রদায়িকতা-এটাই তাদের বাংগালীত্ব। একমাত্র বাবু কিরণ শংকর রায় ব্যতীত কমরেড জ্যোতিবােস সহ Bengal Legislative Assembly -এর সব হিন্দু সদস্যই ছিলেন চরম সাম্প্রদায়িক ও হিন্দু পশ্চিম বঙ্গ প্রতিষ্ঠার মূল হােতা। সাম্প্রদায়িক হিন্দু এমএলএ দের কারণে পূর্ব বাংলার ৫০/৬০ লক্ষ হিন্দু নিজ ভিটা মাটি ছেড়ে বাস্তুহারা পরিচয়ে হিন্দু স্থানে হিজরত করে অমানবিক-অসামাজিক জীবন যাপনে বাধ্য হয়েছে।
সূত্র: জাতীয় রাজনীতি ১৯৪৫ থেকে ৭৫ – অলি আহাদ