Partition of Bengal 1905 - General Knowledge of Modern India
Lord Curzon was a vehemently imperialist and reactionary viceroy. He
considered the British to be more superior, capable and civilized than the
Indians. He had hatred towards Indians in his heart and he was not ready to
accept India as a nation. This attitude of his gave rise to discontent and
extremism in India. Lord Curzon was the Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905.
His entire reign was famous for mistakes and mistakes. As a messenger of
British imperialism, Curzon made a lot of effort to crush the newly sprouted
national movement by creating a storm of anger and discontent in India.
Planning for the partition of Bengal proved to be a more dangerous task than
any of his actions.
Lord Curzon's Diplomacy
Although he had called the partition of Bengal necessary from an
administrative point of view, the reality was that the partition of Bengal was
the result of his reactionary policy. Lord Curzon argued that it was not
possible for a governor to rule the province of Bengal because of the sheer
size and high workload. Therefore, he created a separate province by joining
East Bengal and Assam, whose capital was Dhaka. In fact, this argument for the
partition of Bengal was an excuse for Curzon. His real aim was to destroy the
national unity of Bengal and create division between Hindus and Muslims. His
clear policy was divide and rule. He himself had also said that 'this
partition of Bengal is not done only for the convenience of governance, but
through it a Muslim province is being created, in which Islam and its
followers will be dominant.' Thus the partition of Bengal was an act of
cunning and diplomacy by Lord Curzon.
Indigenous Wave
The government started its repression cycle to crush the national movement of
Bengal. People were put in jail and riots were started spreading communal
differences. Openly revolting was impossible because of repression. Therefore,
the youth of Bengal started protesting against the government in a violent
manner by forming secret organizations and collecting weapons and scriptures.
The Swadeshi movement got a boost from the partition of Bengal. Burning of
foreign clothes, picketing at shops of foreign goods became a part of the
political program.
The Bengal province was divided in such a way that the population of West
Bengal is about 5 crore 40 lakhs and that of East Bengal is about 30 million.
To the passionate residents of Bengal who campaigned for Swadesh and
Swabhasha, this partition seemed as if some killer had cut their native land
with a knife and divided it into two pieces. Such a furious cry erupted in the
whole province, the echo of which was heard from every nook and corner of
India.
Consequences Of Partition Of Bengal
The consequences of the partition of Bengal proved to be very important. Now
the fury of the nationalists reached the climax and the feeling of nationalism
prevailed in India. In fact, no such incident had happened till now, which has
affected Indian politics in this way. The government canceled the partition of
Bengal, fearing the movement, but the tide of protest that once arose did not
stop again. Curzon had tried to crush Indian nationalism through the partition
of Bengal, but that was an even greater obstacle. Curzon wanted the British
Empire to be secure and stable, but through the partition of Bengal and his
reactionary policies, he himself prepared the tomb of the British Empire. This
bang-bhang plan proved to be a boon for the next generation. A new enthusiasm
was infused among the Indians. The partition of Bengal proved to be a big
mistake of Curzon, which instead of benefiting the British Empire, harmed it.
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