Morning News
29th September 1956
‘I Can Also Organize Demonstrations’
Mujibur Rahman’s Challenge
A member from the Awami League benches got up in the East Pakistan Assembly yesterday to draw the attention of the Chair and said that a crowd was demonstrating outside the House in favour of separate electorate and some of them with caps and pugrees on their head had cast aspirations on the Chair, the leader of the House and the House itself, reports APP. Before the member had finished, his voice was drowned in shouts of “withdraw” and strong protests against what the member had said. This raised shouts from the other side of the House and for sometime there was general uproar. Some members from the Opposition demanded that the leader of the House, who was not present at the time, should meet the demonstrators outside; others said that he should make a statement on the floor; yet others that he should explain the conduct of the member from the Government benches who had made the observations earlier. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman rose to reply on behalf of the leader of the House when more shouts and counter shouts followed. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the top of his voice through the mike asked members of the Opposition why they would not allow him to speak on behalf of his party. After the uproar had died down somewhat Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said that the leader of the House had agreed to meet five representatives of the crowd demonstrating outside but they refused to come to the leader of the House in his chamber and demanded that the latter should come out and meet them. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman expressed regrets for the remarks made by a member from the Awami League benches if they had hurt the feelings of members opposite. But some one from the Opposition benches and challenged him to come out of the House and face the situation. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said that he accepted the challenge and would show them how many thousands of people would assemble in support of joint electorate. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said that he did not want any breach of the peace but if it was a challenge thrown to him (by a member of the Muslim League) then he accepted the challenge. He know that meetings and processions had been organized in support of separate electorate, and if they wanted to see the strength of people who supported joint electorate he could also organize demonstrations and could show them how overwhelming would be the support in favour of joint electorate.
The Minister said that he did not like to interfere with the civil liberties of the people who had the right to hold meetings and demonstrations in support of separate or joint electorate. But he warned against the danger of communal riots breaking out and also of clashes between Bengalis and non-Bengalis.