Remembering Shyama Prasad

The whirl of misconception about the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee does not stop. Here is an attempt to set the record straight.

 

 

 

Shyama Prasad Vs Netaji

The most common myth about the two men is the deep rivelry between the two. But the reality cannot be further from the truth. Netaji was active in India till 1942-43 and then he moved his base of operations out of India. During this period, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was still deeping involved in his academic life as Vice - Chancellor of Calcutta University. There was no opportunity for a tiff between the two great men.

 

Shyama Prasad, Netaji Vs Nehru

Both Shyama Prasad and Netaji were rivals of Jawaharlal Nehru for the post of Prime Minister of India and oddly enough both these men died in mysterious circumstances.

 

Once during a debate in Parliament, Shyama Prasad had floored Nehru. Nehru accused Shyama Prasad, "...You have divided Bengal...". Shyama Prasad replied, " ... That is because you have divided India...". Nehru was properly snubbed.

  

Communal Shyama Prasad

Shyama Prasad was anything but communal in outlook. There are enough stories to prove the case. But the most moving is the one involving poet Nazrul Islam. When the peot was suffering from disease and his family was out of cash, it was Shyama Prasad who helped the poet with funds and medical assistance, which no one else did.

 

On the question of awarding a scholarship at Calcutta Univeristy arose between 2 competing scholars - a Hindu and a Muslim, Shyma Prasad granted the scholarship in favour of the Muslim candidate.

 

And the list goes on...

 

Division of Bengal

Shyama Parad was an important member of the Progressive Coalition called the Shyama-Haq ministry. It was progressive and non communal. Fazlul Haq approached the Congress Party to join his ministry to defeat the Muslim communal plans of Jinnah. At that time Sarat Chandra Bose was BPCC President. But the Nehru leadership prevented Sarat Bose to accept the proposal and in turn insulted Haq. This had led Haq to join Jinnah’s Muslim League and which ultimately led to ‘Great Calcutta & Noakhali Killings’ and ceding East Bengal to form Pakistan. Hadn’t there been Shyama Prasad, Bengali Hindus would have faced the same fate as of Kashmiri Pandits, i.e. physical elimination from their homeland.