বাংলাকে সংজ্ঞায়িত করলেন বঙ্গবন্ধু
Islamic Language versus State Language versus National Language versus
Official Language – কোনটা কী? এই বিতর্ক সম্পর্কে পার্লামেন্টে বঙ্গবন্ধু তাঁর ভাষণ দেন এবং বাংলার অবস্থান পার্লামেন্টে তুলে ধরেন। ১৯৫৬ সালের ২১ জানুয়ারির সেই ভাষণ নীচে তুলে ধরা হল।
বাংলাকে সংজ্ঞায়িত করলেন বঙ্গবন্ধু
Islamic Language versus State Language versus National Language versus
Official Language – কোনটা কী? এই বিতর্ক সম্পর্কে পার্লামেন্টে বঙ্গবন্ধু তাঁর ভাষণ দেন এবং বাংলার অবস্থান পার্লামেন্টে তুলে ধরেন। ১৯৫৬ সালের ২১ জানুয়ারির সেই ভাষণ নীচে তুলে ধরা হল।
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The constituent assembly of Pakistan:
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Now, sir, about Islamic language. What is the language of Islam, Sir, Arabic, Urdu. Persian or Bengali. What is the language of the Mussalmans, who will judge it? My friend says Urdu. I would say Bengali. Persians will say Persian. Turks will say Turkish. Indonesians will say Indonesian. Other people will say their own language. Sir, why this vague thing. What is this draft? Two official languages? And the provincial Government and Central Government will try to make a national language. Here is provision for official language and here is provision for national language.
One of my honourable friend, a member of this House, who is the Foreign Minister, told in Dacca that this means State language. Then, why there is still need for national language. He says “official language” means national language. He wants to bluff the people of East Bengal and the people of West Pakistan.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Official language does not mean State language. Official language means official language. If that is not so, why there is this provision about national language in Article 31, which reads: “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”. What is national language and what is official language, is it not a bluff, Sir? You have recognized two languages but Article 31 talks of development of a national language. Sir. You know the whole history. West Pakistan is not against Bengali becoming State language. I have visited Lahore, I have gone to people in Karachi, in Peshawar and Rawalpindi and I find that people as a whole are not against Bengali becoming State language because the people or East Bengal do not claim that there will be only one State language and that will be Bengali. They do so because they know in Punjab they speak Punjabi language but Urdu is the medium of instruction and so is the case in Frontier, where their language is Pushto but the medium of instruction is Urdu and so in Sind, the language is Sindhi but medium of instruction is Urdu. Urdu-speaking people in Pakistan are less than Punjabi-speaking people but most of the people in West Pakistan receive instruction is Urdu. We have told that people of East Bengal are not sectarian. Do not say that. Never have they declared that they want only one State language, that is Bengali, although they are 56 per cent in the country and their medium of instruction is Bengali. They have asked for two State languages for Pakistan. They have sacrificed blood for this. Everybody whether Minister or Prime Minister who has been elected from East Bengal, has promised that he will make Bengali as one of the State language. Now, They want to go back on this for six ministerships. How long will you continue as Ministers? The history of Pakistan and the world is there. So many Ministers have come and gone. Mohammad Ali Bogra has gone to Washington. Nazimuddin is gone and living at Clifton, so is Ghulam Mohammad living at Clifton. Power is nobody’s monopoly. Power may come and power may go but the people will continue, the country will continue.
Sir, I want to draw your attention to the fact that general people in West Pakistan are not against Bengali being declared as one of the State languages of Pakistan. It is only the ruling junta that wants to show to the world that the people here are not agreeable to Bengali to be declared as the state language with Urdu and this they are doing to meet their own selfish ends. The United Front people have betrayed the people of East Pakistan and they have betrayed their electorates. Sir, you must have noticed that even in the Passport, Urdu has been used along with English. I ask who has allowed that to be done and if that was allowed, Why not there also appeared Bengali as well. I ask this question: Why have you used Urdu When it has not been declared as the state language of Pakistan. Then, Sir, in the Defence Services also the training is imparted in Urdu and English. There also Bengali has been neglected.
(The Honourable Mr. Hamidul Huq Choudhury: As soon as the Constitution is passed, Bengali will be included.)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: That is a very happy thing for me to note. But at present, the training in the Defence Forces is imparted in Urdu and English. Who is responsible for all this discriminatory treatment with Bengali. Or is it being done under the direction of the Government or the Constituent Assembly has declared Urdu to be the only State language of Pakistan. I want that our young men and boys should receive their training in Urdu, Bengali and English, in all the three languages. As I told you, our West Pakistani brethren are not against Bengali, but the ruling junta, the ruling clique will not allow that to happen; that is the unfortunate part of the whole thing. After all what is the harm if Bengali is also included? If we do not know Urdu, we should learn Urdu and if they do not know Bengali, they should learn Bengali and in this way harmonious relations between the two wings of Pakistan can be brought about. Of course, they have included it in the Constitution, but there again they are not doing anything practical to show that really they are having Bengali as the State language of Pakistan. They should know that they cannot bluff the general masses any more and that they have to frame the Constitution in the interest of the country and for the general well-being of the masses and not only for the benefit of the ruling junta.
Reference:
Speech of Bangabandhu at the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, 21 January 1956
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