সম্পত্তির সুষম বণ্টন নিয়ে বঙ্গবন্ধুর ভাষণ
২১ জানুয়ারি ১৯৫৬
করাচী
The constituent assembly of Pakistan:
I challenge my honourable friends to quote a single injunction in Islam whereby a man may be permitted to hold ten or fifteen lakh acres of land and simultaneously another Mussalman may die of starvation on the streets of Karachi and Dacca. Can they show an injunction in Islam? Can they produce anything to support them in their feudalism of jagirdaris and zamindaries: “Nobody can take the property of a zamindar without providing compensation?” Who will give the compensation – the people who have tilled and toiled; to whom will the compensation be paid to the people who have enjoyed in the name of Islam. How long will they bluff the people of Pakistan in the name of Islam? You are insulting Islam before the whole world. You are discrediting Islam. Can they prove that Islam means some people working in mills for Rs. 30 per month and other people going round the world squandering people’s money? Islam means equal distribution of wealth. Do they contemplate distributing the wealth of the country to the poor cultivators? What do we find in the Punjab, Frontier and in Sind? You tour for a whole day and you see the property of one man.
Whose property – Talpur’s property, whose property – Daultana’s property; Mian Iftikharuddins’ property. It is not the property of the man who works on the field; it is not the property of the poor “Mussalman”. It is not the property of that poor Mussalman who believe in Lallaha-ilallah-Muhammadur Rasul Ulla’. They are the same Mussalmans. The rich “Mussalmans” are going to London and Paris and wasting the money of the people who work whole day.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: I am sorry my friend has interrupted. You are giving protection to jagirdars, zamindars and big people. You are making constitution for the people of Pakistan. But the people of Pakistan will not accept it. Distribute the properties. It is clearly said by Islam that there should be equal distribution of wealth. The whole property should be equally distributed. We do not want that their properties should be confiscated; give them so much as they can live peacefully in their homes with their families. Take their other properties and give it to the masses. Give them 10 bighas or 10 or 5 acres. Work on the principles of Islam. Establish Islamic principles and philosophy and then speak about Islam. This is absolutely mockery of Islam and democracy. Here the chaprasi is getting Rs. 45 per month while the head of the State gets 12,000 rupees per month. Is this Islamic State? What our Khalifas took in the Islamic State, What was the expenditure of our Khalifas; what Hazrat Muhammad Sallallaho-alaihe-wasalam -took from the public Exchequer? He did not spend a single penny from the state funds. My friends call me a Communist. I cannot understand how they call me a Communist I am a Mussalman.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: About East Bengal I know the position. He has come by the backdoor and next time he will get proof of that Insha-Allah. Here there is zamindari system, you know. Then you know who suffered for Pakistan the poor, refugees but where they are living and what is their position. Big properties and lands have been left by Hindu and Sikh landlords and zamindars. But these properties have been taken away by the landlords coming from India, who were a privileged class, That land has not been equitably distributed among poor masses who are living in Lalookhet and near the Mazar of Quaid-i Azam. I do not know wheather the Quaid-i-Azam’s soul is in peace or not, for them. They have no shelter, they have no land, why do not you distribute that land according to Islamic tenets? Do not do mockery to Islam, give them to the people. But you would not give these lands to people because you want to satisfy the privileged classes as you have to depend on privileged classes to govern this country. Although the condition of masses and refugees is so poor, these landlords have been given safeguards, in the constitution. We cannot change the constitution every now and then and how can you give lands to poor refugees and masses or to poor cultivators who are also Muslims, better Muslims than these big people they believe in Allah and say their prayers. How many rich people say their prayers I do not know but I have seen poor masses saying their prayers all right? Whether they have got their jainamaz or not. You are making an Islamic constitution and you talk of Islamic ways but what you are giving in one way you are taking away in another way, and the poor masses have to suffer most.
Now, they talk of Islam and Islamic way but what they will do in case of Judiciary – they will endeavor to separate, how silly it looks, it may take 25 years, it is all vague, there should be categorical provision in the Constitution. Then what they have done is that a Judge of a High court can be transferred from one province to the other. Now Executive wants to control the Judiciary, is this Islamic constitution? I want to know what was the position of the Qazi”? Even the Khalifa had to go in front of the Qazi for the charges. That is Islamic constitution, but here we want to separate Judiciary from the Executive. God knows in how many years, it may take 25 years! it may be after our death. They say “The State shall endeavor to separate Judiciary from the Executive as soon as possible”. Is this according to the wishes of the people of Pakistan? In every constitution you will find that Judiciary has been separated from the Executive. Here the ruling junta and the privileged classes want to keep power intact in their own hands. Can you expect justice in such conditions where the Executive wants to control the Judiciary? Now they will say we will transfer you from Lahore to Dacca and from Dacca to Lahore. This is a new thing that have done that the High Court Judges can be transferred from this province to that.
Reference:
Iqbal, S. (1997) Sheikh Mujib in Parliament (1955-58), p. 105-131, Dhaka, Agami Prakashani