UPSC Prelims 2000 Q8: Modern History – Transfer Of Power & Partition (1945 - 1947)
At the time of partition of India,
which one of the following provinces of the British India came forward with a plan for a united
and independent existence?
- (a) Punjab
- (b) Assam
- (c) Bengal
- (d) Bihar
Answer: (c) Bengal
Explanation
Province that offered a plan for a united and independent existence in 1947
| Province | What happened in 1947 |
|---|---|
| Bengal | United Bengal plan of H. S. Suhrawardy and Sarat Chandra Bose (May 1947) |
| Punjab | Partitioned; no serious independent-state plan |
| Assam | Mostly stayed in India; Sylhet district joined Pakistan after a referendum |
| Bihar | Not a Muslim-majority province; no such plan |
In May 1947 the Bengal Premier Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Congress leader Sarat Chandra Bose (with Kiran Shankar Roy) proposed a United Bengal that would be sovereign and independent, outside both India and Pakistan.
The Congress and the Muslim League leaderships did not accept it, and Bengal was partitioned under the 3 June Plan.
One published copy gives Assam; the historical record supports Bengal.
Answer: (c) Bengal.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Punjab was partitioned without a serious plan for independence.
- (b) Incorrect. Assam stayed with India apart from Sylhet.
- (c) CORRECT. The United Bengal plan sought an independent, undivided Bengal.
- (d) Incorrect. Bihar made no such plan.
Key point
Sylhet referendum (July 1947) took most of that Assam district to East Pakistan.
Remember
Independent united province plan of 1947: Bengal.
Common mistakes
- Choosing Punjab, the other partitioned province.
- Choosing Assam because of the Sylhet referendum.
- Forgetting Sarat Chandra Bose, Subhas Bose's elder brother, as a co-author of the plan.
Exam tip
United Bengal: Suhrawardy + Sarat Bose, May 1947.
Sources
- Bipan Chandra and others — India's Struggle for Independence, chapter 'Freedom and Partition'
- Rajiv Ahir — A Brief History of Modern India (Spectrum), chapter 'Independence with Partition'