ABSTRACT
The Muslim League’s return to power immediately plunged the province into rank communalism. ‘By unceasing propaganda and clever distortion of facts,’ as Fazlul Huq put it, ‘they managed to rouse the passions of the Muslim multitude against the Congress and as a next step against the Hindu community.’ The staging of the dramas Durgeshnandini and Sitaram at Star and Rangmahal, two popular theatre halls of Calcutta was also not liked by the All Bengal Muslim Students’ League. Favouritism to the Muslim community had reached such glaring proportions that one Government agent was taken to task by Suhrawardy, the Minister for Civil Supplies, for not having maintained the communal ratio in engaging sub-agents. Congress anxiety to come to terms with the Muslim League was also obvious in Bhulabhai Desai’s offer to Liaqat Ali Khan to have parity in the union government.
