বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (প্রথম খণ্ড)/২০
| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
|---|---|---|
| ঢাকায় গণপরিষদ অধিবেশন অনুষ্ঠানের প্রশ্নে বিতর্ক |
পাকিস্তান গণপরিষদ | ২৪শে ফেব্রুয়ারী ১৯৪৮ |
Prof. Raj Kumar Chakravarty (East Bengal: General).
...................Sir, ours is a democratic state and it is our duty to respect the feelings and wishes of the majority of the people or a good number of the people of the State. You know, Sir, Eastern Pakistan consists of the two-third of the people of this vast Pakistan State. It is natural on the part of the people of Eastern Pakistan to have some of the sittings of the Committees of this Assembly and the sessions of this Assembly in their own capital. This amendment has two points in its favor along with other points. It has got its Psychological effect. There is a feeling that in this set-up-new set-up of the Pakistan State-Eastern Pakistan is being neglected. If we have some of the meetings of the Assembly and the Committees in its capital, well, that feeling will be removed and hat misconception also will have no place. Then secondly Sir, my amendment, if it is accepted, will have its educative. The sessions of the Assembly or the meetings of the committees, if they are held in the Capital of Eastern Pakistan, will be conducive to the best interests of the people. It will educate them in the matter of parliamentary procedure and will give them some idea as to the way how the Government of the country is carried n and how they feel about it.
If the leaders of the Pakistan State visit the capital of Eastern Pakistan on such occasions, the people there will have opportunities to come in contact with them and will e inspired by their presence and the people will feel the entire letter. I, therefore, say. Sir, hat the educative value of my amendment should not be minimized. I anticipate there may be objections to my proposal on the ground of practical difficulties; but if there is will, there is a way. Before the partition of India, the sittings of the Central Assembly were held in Delhi and Simla, and the Sessions of some of the Provincial Assemblies were held at different places. There are undoubtedly, some difficulties—I have to confess them; but they should not stand in our way if we want to give effect to the proposal for reasons that I have stated just now. Sir, my amendment is a very modest one. The rule as adopted and placed before the House is that “the business of the Assembly shall be conducted at Karachi unless the President otherwise directs". So there is the right of the president to direct otherwise. If the House accepts my amendment the right of the President remains unimpaired, but the very acceptance of this amendment will have a great effect upon the psychology and otherwise as regards the people of Eastern Pakistan. It is a very modest amendment and I hope fervently that the feelings and wishes of the people of Eastern Pakistan will be considered and the House will kindly accede to my modest proposal......................
Mr. Tamizuddin Khan: I have a good deal of sympathy with many of the observations made by the Honorable the mover of this amendment, but I think there will be obvious, practical difficulties. The question of finance is an all important question. How difficult it will be for the Government to transfer all the paraphernalia necessary for holding a session there, I do not know. There may be a good deal of difficulty so far as that is concerned. On the other hand, I see that if a session is desirable to be held at Dacca, the President has always got the authority under this rule to give direction to that effect. I, would, therefore, think that even without this amendment the purpose that the Honorable the mover has in view can be very well served, if the president is convinced about the practicability and feasibility of holding a session there. I, therefore, think that this amendment is not very necessary.
Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah (East Bengal: Muslim):
Sir, I do not think that the practical difficulties of members traveling from Western Pakistan to Eastern Pakistan could be greater than that of the Eastern Pakistanis coming to the West, for their number is greater.
As regards administration and accommodation, I am not suggesting any remote village in Eastern Pakistan but Dacca which, I presume has got sufficient arrangements to accommodate the House. Anyway, I think the psychological benefit for outweighs the practical difficulties. A feeling is growing among the Eastern Pakistanis that Eastern Pakistan is being neglected and treated merely as a “colony" of West Pakistan. We must do everything possible to eradicate this feeling. This narrow provincialism must be stated. Justified or unjustified, we must not give any province a chance of feeling that it is neglected. I have lived many years with the Western Pakistanis and I feel that they are grossly ignorant of the people of Eastern Pakistan. I, therefore, think that at least once a year a meeting should be held in Eastern Pakistan. At the moment, we are faced with far too many difficulties. So let there be a meeting of this House only in Western Pakistan now; later on when it becomes the Legislature only then let it meet at least once a year in Dacca.