পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (প্রথম খণ্ড).pdf/২৭২

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ প্রথম খণ্ড
২৪৭

The issue was then raised after the speech of no less a person than the Prime Minister of Pakistan and then after that there were trouble, there agitation, there were shootings', there were killings and there was lot of agitation, seeing which no less a person than the Chief Minister of East Bengal got up in his Legislature where he holds a majority to pass a resolution in keeping with the feelings of the people of East Bengal. Unless he was then in harmony with the ideas of the people of East Pakistan, he could not have passed that resolutions or was it only a political way in which he wanted to get out of the difficult situation? I would ask the Honorable Chief Minister from East Bengal, what was the reason that he passed that resolution in the Legislature of East Bengal. If there was no need for it then, there was no need for bringing this resolution here. If there was a need for that resolution to be passed, if there was a public feeling which had led him to pass that resolution in East Bengal Assembly, then surely, Sir, that need has not been done away with and therefore this issue should not be put in cold storage.

 I being to a province where we have nurtured and brought up Urdu in the last 30 years or 40 years or more and Punjab is really proud for nurturing that language which was not its own. Then, Sir, after all these years we have been speaking that language and improving that language, in spite of the fact, I am today with the fullest responsibility standing here to support the issue of Bengali and I say that let us have Bengali as one of the State Languages, because it is the language of 4 crore and 9 lakhs of our people living in East Bengal. If we, from West Pakistan, are going to oppose that urge, of the people of East Pakistan, we will be responsible for starting trouble in East Pakistan, which may damage the very fabric of my country and my nation. Sir, I am one of those, therefore, who, though loving Urdu language, though speaking Urdu language, are today on their legs to support this issue with all sincerity and all seriousness because we do not want that by opposing the cause of the people of East Pakistan, we are going to do no good. Instead, by postponing the issue, by postponing the evil day once again, we will be starting trouble, which may result in the complete disruption of Pakistan. Therefore, Sir. in the interests of Pakistan, in the interests of our people, in the interests of our solidarity. in the interests of our future ties, in the interests of our future children and in the interests of our posterity, I am going to support the issue of Bengali. Let us not waste any time: let us support the resolution of Chief Minister of Bengal; let us have the Bengali language as one of our State languages. If we can have English, if English could be spoken here, if English could be treated as a language in which we can communicate with each other why cannot the Bengali language, the spoken language of 4 crores of people, be the State language. I am sure, Sir, that Urdu is neither so weak, nor Bengali language so weak. that by having them both as State languages, we are going to kill one or the other language. It is just trying to put oil on fire and this fire would spread, I assure you, Sir, if we do not take up this issue seriously and if we do not get over this petty Provincialism, if we keep on going; on Provincial lines of sentiments on which we have lived for past so many years, we, we are going to destroy this country. Sir, sentimentalism should be apart. We have been sentimental too long. We have been emotional too long. Let us be rational, let us ask 'ourselves, ask searching questions to yourselves.; I ask the Prime Minister here, let him ask a searching question to himself: Is it really the desire of East Pakistan people that they should have Bengali language as one of the State languages? If it is not, then for