The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 101
[ 101 ] Chandra Bose; obviously, it was afraid of provoking pub lic prot�sts. But by urging this view, they have simply left the door open for further developments. In the Report they observe that the redistribution of provinces should be made on • • linguistic consideration '' and according to the wishes of the majority of the people. " They have also agreed that the language of these people is Bengali, and also that they desire an amalgamation with Bengal. When we read the above with the opinion of the committee, '' that their must be a redistribution of provinces,'' we may clearly perceive this underlying intention to bring about such a change in Bengal, that would strengthen the Hindu element as against the Muslim population. This observation of the Report does not exclude even the Punjab. And whether or not, such idea was in the minds of the compilers of the Report, the fact is that a movement in the direction is now already afoot. The Punjab national party has already endorsed this view of the Nehru Committee with the proviso that the western districts should be annexed to the N. W. F. Provinces, and the Meerut division should be annexed to the Punjab. In other words, the nationalist party agrees to the pro posal of the Nehru�Report on condition that the Muslim majority in the Punjab should be smashed, and replaced by a Hindu majority. One cannot say if this movement is going to make a headway. At any rate, it has already entered the sphere of practical politics, and if the central Hindu majority feels disposed to effect such a redistribu tion, there is hardly anything to prevent it fro� doing so. It thus comes to this that where the Muslims had pressed for the formation of five independent Muslin1 provinces, such as, the Punjab, Bengal. Sindh, Baluchis. . tan, and the N. W. F. Provinces, the Nehru-Report pro-