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{{short description|Branch of the All India Muslim League in British Indian Bengal (1912-1947)}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Bengal Provincial Muslim League
| logo =
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| foundation = {{Start date|1912}}
| ideology = [[Constitutionalism]]<br /> [[Muslim nationalism in South Asia]]<br /> [[Civil rights]] for [[Bengali Muslims]]
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| country = British India
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| _subheader = Former provincial party
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| dissolution = 1947
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| position = [[Centre-right]]
| national =
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| seats1_title = Seats in the [[Bengal Legislative Council]]
| seats1 =
| seats2_title = Seats in the [[Bengali Legislative Assembly]]
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}}
The '''Bengal Provincial Muslim League''' ('''BPML''') was the branch of the [[All India Muslim League]] in the [[British India]]n province of [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]]. It was established in Dacca on 2 March 1912. Its official language was [[Bengali language|Bengali]].<ref name="banglapedia1">{{cite web|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bengal_Provincial_Muslim_League |title=Bengal Provincial Muslim League - Banglapedia |publisher=En.banglapedia.org |access-date=2017-07-21}}</ref> The party played an important role in the [[Bengal Legislative Council]] and in the [[Bengal Legislative Assembly]], where two of the [[Prime Minister of Bengal|Prime Ministers of Bengal]] were from the party. It was vital to the creation of the [[Dominion of Pakistan]], particularly after its election victory in 1946.

In 1929, a faction of the party broke away as the [[Praja Party]]. Members of the BPML later became prominent statesmen of [[Pakistan]] and [[Bangladesh]], including holding offices such as the [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]] (Sir [[Khawaja Nazimuddin]], [[Mohammad Ali of Bogra]], [[Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy]] and [[Nurul Amin]]), [[Governor General of Pakistan]] (Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin), [[Chief Minister of East Bengal]] (Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin, Nurul Amin, A. K. Fazlul Huq and [[Ataur Rahman Khan]]), [[President of Bangladesh]] ([[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]], [[Mohammad Mohammadullah]] and [[Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad]]), [[Vice President of Bangladesh]] ([[Syed Nazrul Islam]]) and [[Prime Minister of Bangladesh]] (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, [[Tajuddin Ahmad]], [[Muhammad Mansur Ali]] and Ataur Rahman Khan).

==Background==
[[Eastern Bengal and Assam]] was the birthplace of the Muslim League in 1906. The League was created as a response to the growth of Hindu nationalist movements in India, particularly in Bengal after the [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|1905 partition]]. It was formed at the [[All India Muhammadan Educational Conference]], which was aimed at promoting liberal education among Indian Muslims. In 1912, the British government annulled the partition. The annulment was not well-received among many in the Muslim population.

==Formation==
The founders of the BPML were [[Khwaja Salimullah|Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah]], [[Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury]], Sir [[Abdul Halim Ghaznavi]], Justice Sir [[Zahid Suhrawardy]], Abul Kashem, Wahid Hossain and Abdur Rasul. Many members were concurrently members of the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref name="banglapedia1"/> [[A. K. Fazlul Huq]] was elected as its president in 1915.

==Language==
The BPML adopted Bengali as its official language. All its resolutions were published in Bengali.<ref name="banglapedia1"/> In contrast, the central leadership of the Muslim League were mostly [[Urdu]]-speaking.

==Dyarchy==
In the period of dyarchy (1919-1935), the BPML had many factions. One of the notable factions led by A. K. Fazlul Huq favored cooperation with the British government to achieve self-rule. Another faction led by [[Maniruzzaman Islamabadi]] supported non-cooperation and the [[Khilafat movement]].<ref name="banglapedia1"/>

==Provincial autonomy==
The BPML won 40 seats in the Bengal Legislative Assembly during the [[1937 Indian provincial elections|1937 election]]. It supported [[Krishak Sramik Party]] leader A. K. Fazlul Huq's government. In 1940, the All India Muslim League adopted the [[Lahore Resolution]] which included references to a sovereign state in eastern India. In 1941, the BPML withdrew support for Huq's government. Its chief leader between 1937 and 1946 was [[Khawaja Nazimuddin|Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin]], a trusted confidante of All India Muslim League president [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]]. In 1943, Nazimuddin unseated the Huq-[[Syama Prasad Mukherjee|Syama]] coalition, formed government and became the [[Prime Minister of Bengal]]. The conservative Nazimuddin ministry grappled with the effects of [[World War II]], including the [[Bengal famine of 1943]]. Factional infighting increased within the BPML. The Nazimuddin ministry collapsed in 1945 and [[Governor of Bengal|Governor]]'s rule was imposed. The party's control passed on to a more liberal and centrist faction, which included leaders [[H. S. Suhrawardy]] and [[Mohammad Ali of Bogra]]. In the [[1946 Indian provincial elections|1946 election]], the BPML won a majority of 114/250 seats in the Bengal Legislative Assembly, compared to 28/60 in [[Sind Province|Sind]], 75/175 in [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], 17/150 in the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–55)|North-West Frontier Province]], 54/228 in the [[United Provinces (1937–50)|United Provinces]], 34/152 in [[Bihar Province|Bihar]], 31/108 in [[Colonial Assam|Assam]], 30/175 in [[Bombay Presidency]], 29/215 in [[Madras Presidency]], and 4/60 in [[Orissa Province|Orissa]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1310662|title=The Muslim League: A factional history|date=26 January 2017}}</ref> The result in Bengal, with 45% of seats won by the BPML, was among the largest mandates for the League. The Suhrawardy ministry lasted until the partition of India in 1947.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jalal |first=Ayesha |author-link=Ayesha Jalal |year=1994 |title=The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the Demand for Pakistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D63KMRN1SJ8C&pg=PA162 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=162 |isbn=978-0-521-45850-4}}</ref> Suhrawardy mooted the proposal for a [[United Bengal]], but the Mountbatten Plan failed to take it into account. Suhrawardy also faced bitterness to his plans from Nazimuddin and could not count on the cooperation of Nazimuddin's ally Jinnah.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jalal |first=Ayesha |author-link=Ayesha Jalal |year=1994 |title=The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the Demand for Pakistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D63KMRN1SJ8C&pg=PA265 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=265–266 |isbn=978-0-521-45850-4}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Krishak Sramik Party]]
* [[Legislatures of British India]]
* [[Punjab Muslim League]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:1912 establishments in India]]
[[Category:1947 disestablishments in India]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in India]]
[[Category:Islamic political parties in India]]
[[Category:Muslim League]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1947]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1912]]

Bengal Provincial Muslim League - Revision history

->Citation bot at 00:18, 11 September 2021