আঞ্চলিক স্বায়ত্বশাসন নিয়ে বঙ্গবন্ধুর দাবী
৩০ সেপ্টেম্বর ১৯৫৫
করাচী
The constituent assembly of Pakistan:
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: (East Bengal: Muslim): I am opposing the Bill. At the present moment I would submit that we do not expect honey from these people, we can always get poison from them and the Pakistani people will get still more poison.
Sir, the original Bill was bad but this Bill as it stands now is worse than the original, particularly due to the amendments of my friend, Mr. Haroon, who was most active during the passage of West Pakistan Bill and who presented so many amendments to The House that by these amendments they have made it far worse than the original Bill itself. I know Mr. Haroon has moved most of the amendments rather he has moved practically all the amendments that were made on behalf of the Government and these have made it all the worse. Mr. Haroon will no doubt get his reward although he may not become a member of the West Pakistan Assembly. He will be the next man to be rewarded. Now in the country those people who believe in parliamentary democracy to them the Bill is a great disappointment or a shock so to say. The steam rolling clique wants to put it through in violation of all democratic principles. It is an accepted democratic principle that in matters of such controversy where the country is sharply divided into two camps, it is always better to take public opinion either by way of referendum or by plebiscite or by some such device. At least it should be sent to a Select Committee. Unfortunately they have not accepted our requests for plebiscite, referendum or Select Committee. Now, sir, so far as our opinion is concerned we feel as citizens of Pakistan and as well-wishers of Pakistan that the country is likely to go to dissension, chaos and disorder. It is most likely that it may go into disintegration due to this Act.
Sir, this One Unit Bill is based on the idea of domination by the ruling junta over this part of the country. They had the idea of ruling Pakistan as a whole but after the defeat of the Muslim League in East Pakistan they have realised that now it is not possible for them to rule the whole of Pakistan. So, now they want to create an empire for themselves to rule over it by integrating all the provinces in West Pakistan without ascertaining the views of the people. Sir, this bill is being passed with the help of the United Front party. I might tell you, Sir, that this United Front party were a subscriber to the 21-point programme which they had chalked out for the people of East Pakistan and they were elected on that basis. But, now when they have come into the Constituent Assembly and have been appointed as Ministers and Ministers of State, they have not cared for the 21-point Programme any more. They have forgotten their promise that they gave to the people of East Pakistan that they will support 21-point programme.
I was speaking on the defects that are there in this Bill even after it has been amended. They have created West Pakistan Province and have not defined the powers that it will have. Our demand is that both these Units must get regional autonomy ….
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Yes, Sir, that is the point. I was speaking on regional autonomy. My friends of the United Front had promised the people that they will get them full regional autonomy and this was also embodied in the 21-point programme. Now, Mr. Fazlul Huq, the Leader of the United Front party, is not present here, but his party members are there. I want to draw their attention, through you that this item stands as No. I on the 21-point programme. According to the historic Lahore Resolution, Sir.
Reference:
Iqbal, S. (1997) Sheikh Mujib in Parliament (1955-58), p. 65-78, Dhaka, Agami Prakashani