Suhrawardy ministry
Ministry of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy | |
|---|---|
 4th Cabinet of Bengal | |
| 1946–1947 | |
| Date formed | 24 April 1946 |
| Date dissolved | 13 August 1947 |
| People and organisations | |
| Governor | Frederick Burrows |
| Chief Minister | Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy |
| No. of ministers | 11 |
| Ministers removed | 1 |
| Total no. of members | 12 |
| Member party | |
| Status in legislature | Minority 113 / 250 (45%) |
| Opposition cabinet | First Ghosh ministry |
| Opposition party | INC |
| Opposition leader | Kiran Shankar Roy |
| History | |
| Election | 1946 |
| Outgoing election | 1937 |
| Legislature term | 2nd Bengal Legislative Assembly |
| Predecessor | First Nazimuddin ministry |
| Successor |
|
The Suhrawardy ministry, the fourth and last cabinet of Bengal Province in British India, formed on the eve of the partition of India. It was constituted in 1946 under the leadership of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, the leader of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League (BPML) and the chief minister of Bengal, and lasted until 1947.[1] Following the partition of Bengal, the ministry was succeeded by the First Ghosh ministry in the western part and the Second Nazimuddin ministry in the eastern part.
Background
[edit]In 1943, under the leadership of Khawaja Nazimuddin, the parliamentary leader of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League (BPML), a branch of the All-India Muslim League (AIML), a provincial cabinet was formed in Bengal Province of British India. Around the same time, the Pakistan Resolution of the AIML was gaining popularity among the Muslims of the province, and the political party itself was growing in influence. Simultaneously, Nazimuddin's cabinet was increasingly criticized by the opposition for administrative corruption and failure to address the Bengal famine of 1943. As a result, Nazimuddin's influence within the BPML began to wane, while the influence of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy started to rise. Although Nazimuddin's ministry enjoyed support from the British authorities, the party lost a no-confidence motion after losing 21 assembly members in 1945. Consequently, Syed Nausher Ali, the Speaker of the Bengal Legislative Assembly, declared the dissolution of the cabinet after a parliamentary vote. Although the BPML won in the 1946 Bengal Legislative Assembly election, it failed to secure an absolute majority. Despite attempting to form a coalition cabinet with the Bengal Provincial Congress (BPC), the provincial branch of the Indian National Congress (INC), the effort was unsuccessful. Eventually, on 24 April 1946, a cabinet was formed under the leadership of Suhrawardy with seven ministers.[2] Later, on 21 November 1946, with the removal of one and the addition of four members, the cabinet was expanded and responsibilities were redistributed.[3]
Dissolution
[edit]In 1947, the INC and the AIML agreed to the partition of India, leading to the creation of the modern states of India and Pakistan. In 20 June of the same year, when an election was held regarding the second partition of Bengal, the majority of votes in the Bengal Legislative Assembly were in favor of the partition. However, at that time, Suhrawardy's cabinet remained in Calcutta, the capital of Bengal Province. In 27 June, an emergency session of the Working Committee of the BPML decided to establish the capital of the proposed Pakistani Bengal in Dacca.[4] In 3 July, under the leadership of Prafulla Chandra Ghosh, the leader of the BPC, a shadow cabinet was formed for the future state of West Bengal.[5] In 18 July, the Indian Independence Act was passed in the Parliament of the United Kingdom and received royal assent, clearing the way for the partition of Bengal Province into the Indian state of West Bengal and the Pakistani province of East Bengal.[4] On 5 August 1947, Suhrawardy lost the parliamentary leadership election of the BPML by 36 votes, and Khawaja Nazimuddin was elected the new leader.[6] On 15 August 1947, the day after Pakistan's independence, a new cabinet was formed in Dacca, the capital of the newly created province of East Bengal, under the leadership of Nazimuddin.[7] On the other hand, following India's independence on 15 August 1947, the shadow cabinet of West Bengal became the state’s first official government.[5]
Members
[edit]The cabinet was composed of the following ministers:[8][3]
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office of the Chief Minister | 24 April 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Finance, Public Health, and Local Self-Government | 24 April 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Education | 24 April 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries | 24 April 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Civil Supplies | 24 April 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Cooperation, Loans, and Relief | 24 April 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Commerce, Labour, and Industry | 24 April 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Irrigation and Waterways | 21 November 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Justice and Legislative Affairs | 21 November 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Land, Land Revenue, and Prisons | 21 November 1946 | 13 August 1947 | |
| Department of Public Works and Housing | 21 November 1946 | 13 August 1947 |
Former members
[edit]The list of former members of the cabinet is given below:[9][3]
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Judicial and Legislative Affairs, and Public Works and Housing | 24 April 1946 | 21 November 1946 |
References
[edit]- ^ Bhattacharya, Sabyasachi (2014). "6 The Politics of Exclusion: 1936–46". The Defining Moments in Bengal: 1920–1947. Oxford University Press. p. 226. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198098942.003.0006. ISBN 9780199083039.
- ^ Dutta, Satya Brata (2002). "মুসলিম লীগ মন্ত্রিসভা ও সাম্প্রদায়িক রাজনীতি (১৯৪৩-১৯৪৭) : ১৩৫০-এর দুর্ভিক্ষ, ১৯৪৬-এর দাঙ্গা". বাংলার বিধানসভার একশো বছর রাজানুগত্য থেকে গণতন্ত্র (in Bengali). Kolkata: Progressive Publishers. pp. 161–173.
- ^ a b c Bhattacharya, Dhananjoy (2017). A.K. Fazlul Huq and Bengal Politics Between the Two Partitions (1905–1947): Currents and Cross-Currents (Thesis). Siliguri: University of North Bengal. p. 277. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025.
- ^ a b Mamun, Muntassir; Rahman, Md. Mahbubar (2015) [2014]. "অখণ্ড বাংলা গঠনের প্রয়াস ও উপমহাদেশের বিভক্তি, ১৯৪৭". স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশের অভ্যুদয়ের ইতিহাস (in Bengali). Suborna. p. 49–50. ISBN 9789849069447.
- ^ a b Bala, Babulal. "Role of Dr. Prafulla Chandra Ghosh as Head of the Shadow Ministry and First Ministry of West Bengal (3rd July 1947 - 22nd January 1948) - An Analytical Review" (PDF). Journal of People's History and Culture. 10 (3). Kolkata: Garia Society for Studies of Marginal People.
- ^ "পূর্ব্ব-বঙ্গ রাষ্ট্রের লীগ দলপতি বহু ভোটে মিঃ সুরাবর্দ্দীকে পরাজিত করিয়া মিঃ নাজিমুদ্দিন নির্ব্বাচিত". Jugantar Patrika (in Bengali). 6 August 2025. p. 1.
- ^ "হিন্দু-মুশ্লিম সহযোগিতায় ঢাকায় স্বাধীনতা দিবসের উৎসব". Jugantar Patrika (in Bengali). 17 August 1947. p. 8.
- ^ "Bengal Legislative Assembly Proceedings on Partition of Bengal (The 20th June 1947)" (Document). West Bengal Legislative Assembly. 2002 [1947]. p. VII.
- ^ "Assembly Proceedings Official Report Bengal Legislative Assembly Second Session, 1946" (Document). Bengal Government Press. p. i.