Letter to Sardar Vallabhbhai from Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee/1949/ Coochbehar Merger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, Dr. Mukherjee also played the game to include Cooch Behar in West Bengal any how. They were in opposite direction from political point of view but brotherhood and sympathy for merely 6% of fellow sisters and brothers of Cooch Behar was prevalent for both of them. 

When question came regarding inclusion of Cooch Behar, then Hitasadhini of local people became agent of east Pakistan. And 90% of residents of Cooch Behar became bengali. How funny. Its a big question that who had vested interest on Cooch Behar and for what purpose.

Frankly speaking, during 1948-49, 5-6% people were bengali and 90-95% were aboriginals (mostly Koch Rajbanshi), out of 90-95% around 20-25% were Muslim (mostly aboriginals hindu converted Muslim over a period).

Viewers you can get a brief idea about demography of Cooch Behar from screenshot pages of Book: The Cooch Behar State and its Land Revenue Settlements, 1903, compiled by Harendra Narayan Chaudhuri, B.I., Settlement Naib Ahilkar, Cooch Behar) given below. If you 

 

Dr. Mukherjee received the disturbing report of Cooch Behar. Now question is who had given that report? No doubt his fellow bureaucracy fellow brothers! 

“The question of integrating Cooch Behar with West Bengal should be taken up at an early date” –Why Dr. Mukherjee was not interest to include Cooch Behar with Assam whereas Assam or Guwahati was geographically more favourable and Assam was not part of east Pakistan. He might thought of centrally governed Cooch Behar state. But he did not. 

 

Over a period of several movements happened here at Terai and Dooars area such as Utjas movement, KPP movement, GCPA movement but each time Bengali oriented West Bengal Government bulldozed over it, bulldozed over the local people. Bengali/Kolkata oriented government labelled as separatist or popularly called “bicchinotabadi”. But they never thought why people were doing movements. Each time, one interesting fact that, so called bengalis of Cooch Behar or northern part were not involved in those movements. what does it mean? {politically, socially, economically culturally and linguistically}. It means they are happy or they are only blessed with West Bengal government?,  Kamta or Greater Cooch Behar was never part of Bengal linguistically, socially, culturally as well as historically so there was no question of separation. Its a movement against deprivation which leads to separation what people thought the best solution. Presently GCPA (Greater Coochbehar People’s Association) is keeping eye on separate Cooch Behar state and hoping that central government will do something for aboriginal people and place against deprivation from Kolkata oriented West Bengal Government since merger of Cooch Behar with West Bengal. But Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee is an icon of BJP lead central government. How they can take action against Dr. Shyama Prasad’s willing. 

 

Actually both Dr. Roy and Dr. Mukherjee’s intention was to make Cooch Behar a dumping ground state of refugees from east Pakistan and change the demography of Cooch Behar with its bengali fellow brothers and sisters. Automatically aboriginal land holding people became minor. 

Kolkata oriented bengal government did two times land reform here since independence. Now you can imagine what will be the economic condition of middle class farmers whose one and only source of income was agriculture. If i sudden take half portion of any shop/establishment of a shop keeper will he be happy?? 

 

Bengal Government never highlighted history and geography of Northern part of Bengal in text book of class V to class XII. Why? They might think that it would be suicidal for them or they did not think that human beings are living there. Overall it was unfair with Aboriginals. Hope for the best.