Assignment on Huseyn shaheed suhrawardy

1. Introduction:
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was a great political leader and renowned son of Bengal. He had a
great political career more than four years. During the period he held such distinguished positions
as member of a Bengal Legislative Council from 1921 to 1947. Pakistan Constituent Assembly-
cum-Parliament from 1947 to 1949 and 1954 to 1956. He was the architect of Bengal Provincial
Muslim League (BPML). Suhrawardy was born in a family of eminent personalities of exceptional
merit, remarkable scholarship and profound accomplishments, he made a conscious decision to
serve the people by joining politics. He started his political career as an avowed Khilafatist in
1920, and soon thereafter he emerged as one of the most ardent defenders of Muslim interests in
Bengal.
Background of His Entry into Politics (1921-1935):
Suhrawardy’s election as member of the Bengal Legislative Council (1921) from a Kolkata
constituency within a year of his return from England marked the beginning of long and eventful
political career. His independent attitude, bold stand and argumentation in the assembly debates
soon drew the attention of all quarters including Deshbandhu Chittaya Ranjan Das (1870-1925),
popularly known as C.R. Das made Suhrawardy the Deputy Mayor of the Hindu-dominated
Kolkata Corporation with Himself as the Mayor. C.R. Das was a great Bengali leader equally
acceptable to both Hindus and Muslims. After a sudden death of C.R. Das as a Deputy Mayor of
Kolkata Corporation, Suhrawardy Managed to survive the demise of his mentor, Das for about a
year. In 1926 he was forced to resign by Hindu members because of his involvement in a riot in
called Rangila Rasool, the utter dismay of Muslims at large hurting their religious view. A Muslim
took revenge on him by a murderous act. This situation led to the outbreak of a communal riot in
Kolkata in 1926 that continued about fourteen days with more than fifty people killed and seven
hundred injured. This is the turning point of Suhrawardy’s career. (Rashid, 2008)
Glimpses of Political Struggle:
He was markedly vocal about the urgent need for ventilating and redressing the genuine grievances
of the Muslim population in Bengal. Throughout the 1920s, he emphasized the paramount
importance of Hindu-Muslim unity for wresting freedom from the British colonial rule. He did not

2. believe that the Congress party could ever be the fair arbiter of the conflict between Hindus and
Muslims.
By the year 1927, he emerged as the most vocal and articulate defender of Muslim rights in the
city of Kolkata; he organized numerous associations, labor unions, and trade unions in Kolkata.
He was also instrumental in organizing the All-India Khilafat Conference and All-Bengal Muslim
Conference in 1928. As one of the emerging Muslim leaders of India, H.S. Suhrawardy was very
critical about the lopsided recommendations of the Simon Commission Report. He was also an
ardent critic of the Nehru (Motilal) Commission Report.
During 1931-32, he was actively involved in holding of the Conferences of the All-India Muslim
Volunteers. After the formation of the Muslim League and Proja Party coalition ministry in Bengal
under the leadership A.K. Fazlul Huq, H.S. Suhrawardy was made the minister in charge of labor.
He also held other important portfolios in Sher-e-Bangla Fazlul Huq's cabinet. He was also one of
the staunchest opponents of the second coalition ministry of A.K. Fazlul Huq, which was often
derided as the Shyma-Huq ministry. He was the most active member in Khwaja Nazimuddin's
cabinet, which was formed after the collapse of the so-called Shayma-Huq cabinet in 1943.
H.S. Suhrawardy personally enlisted the support of industrial workers of Bengal in favour of the
Pakistan movement. His popularity among the students and younger generation had motivated
many to be the most vocal supporters of the Pakistan movement. Both H.S. Suhrawardy and Abul
Hashim had been credited for a landslide victory of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League during
the 1946 elections. (Manik, 2007)
1946- Election and Suhrawardy:
The Election was held on the eve of withdrawal of the British from Indian Subcontinent. The
Election was very important for Muslim League in view of two considerations. One is Muslim
support for Pakistan another one is the representative character of the party. BPML went to polls
having a strong position. Yet Suhrawardy and his succeeding general secretary, Abul Hashim took
the election in right earnest. The Khaja group abstained from taking part in the election.
Suhrawardy set thirty District Election offices and about one hundred Sub-offices. The BPML won

3. a comprehensive in the Elections securing 114 seats out of 121 with 83.64 percent of votes polled.
(Rashid, 2008)
Independence of Pakistan:
In 1947, the balance of power in Bengal shifted from the Muslim League to the Indian National
Congress, and Suhrawardy stepped down from the Chief Ministership. Unlike other Muslim
League stalwarts of India, he did not leave his hometown immediately for the newly established
Pakistan. Anticipating revenge of Hindus against Muslims in Kolkata after the transfer of power,
Suhrawardy sought help from Gandhi. Gandhi was persuaded to stay and pacify tempers in Kolkata
with the intention that Suhrawardy share the same roof with him so that they could appeal to
Muslims and Hindus alike to live in peace. "Adversity makes strange bed-fellows," Gandhi
remarked in his prayer meeting
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (left) with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 1949.
Upon the formation of Pakistan, Suhrawardy maintained his work in politics, continuing to focus
on East Bengal as it became after the independence of Pakistan. On return to Dhaka he joined
Awami Muslim League that Maulana Bhashai formed.
In the 1950s, Suhrawardy worked to consolidate political parties in East Pakistan to balance the
politics of West Pakistan. He, along with other leading Bengali leaders A.K. Fazlul
Huq and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, formed a political alliance in the name of Jukta
Front which won a landslide victory in 1954 general election of East Pakistan. Under Muhammad
Ali Bogra, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy would serve as Law Minister and later become the head
of opposition parties. (Wikipedia, 2015)
Chief Minister of united Bengal:
In 1946, Suhrawardy established and headed a Muslim League government in Bengal. It was the
only Muslim League government in India at that time.
As the demand for a separate Muslim state of Pakistan became popular amongst Indian Muslims,
the independence of Pakistan on communal lines was deemed inevitable by mid-1947. To prevent

4. the inclusion of Hindu-majority districts of Punjab and Bengal in a Muslim Pakistan, the Indian
National Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha sought the division of these provinces on communal
lines. Bengali nationalists such as Sarat Chandra Bose, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Kiran
Shankar Roy, Abul Hashim, Satya Ranjan Bakshi and Mohammad Ali Chaudhury sought to
counter division proposals with the demand for a united and independent state of Bengal.
Suhrawardy and Bose sought the formation of a coalition government between Bengali Congress
and the Bengal Provincial Muslim League. Proponents of the plan urged the masses to reject
communal divisions and uphold the vision of a united Bengal. In a press conference held in Delhi
on 27 April 1947 Suhrawardy presented his plan for a united and independent Bengal and Abul
Hashim issued a similar statement in Kolkata on 29 April. (Wikipedia, 2015)
Prime Minister of Pakistan:
In 1956, Suhrawardy won the slot of Prime minister and was hastily appointed as fifth Prime
Minister by President Iskandar Mirza after the surprise resignation of Chaudhry Muhammad Ali.
As Prime minister, Suhrawardy took the nation on confidence on national radio, promising to
resolve the energy crises, economical disparity and promised the nation to build a massive military
in an arms race with India. He tried his level best to actualize his words.
Conclusion:
With his Oxford background in London, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was among the most
talented political leader of Bengal, his leadership is unmatched in organizational activities due to
his unique quality. He had been a chronic heart patient and died in Lebanon in 1963 due to a cardiac
arrest. His death was officially due to complications from heart problems, though some have
alleged he was poisoned, gassed or subjected to blunt-trauma in his bedroom. His contribution is
flawless and was one of the initial contributor of independence of Bangladesh.

5. References:
[1]: Rashid, O.R (2008) Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Khan, A. Majeed (ed.) Twenty Great
Bengalis, Dhaka , The University Press limited.
[2]: Manik, M.W (2007) Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy: Glimpses of his political struggle. The
Daily Star. [Online] 5th December. Available from:
http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/cache/cached-news-details-14212.html
[Accessed: 6th may 2015]
[3]: Wikipedia, [Online] Available from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huseyn_Shaheed_Suhrawardy#Prime_Minister_of_Pakistan,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huseyn_Shaheed_Suhrawardy#Chief_Minister_of_United_Bengal
[Accessed: 6th may 2015]