50 years of independence: The day Indira Gandhi advised Tajuddin to form a government in exile
The dawn of April 2, 1971. Departing from Kolkata, an old Indian Army AN-Twelve cargo plane made a loud noise and landed in Delhi.
Sheikh Mujib's colleague Tajuddin Ahmed, Amir-ul Islam and two Indian officials got off the plane.
The next night they had an appointment with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which was arranged by BSF or Indian Border Security Force chief KF Rustamji.
After fleeing from East Pakistan, a number of intellectuals were already in Delhi, secretly showing them that it was Tajuddin who had come to Delhi.
ভারতের প্রধানমন্ত্রী ইন্দিরা গান্ধী। একাত্তরে, নিজের কার্যালয়ে
PHOTO SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Photo caption,
Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi. In 1971, in his own office
Former Indian Foreign Secretary Muchkunda Dubey was then a young officer in the Indian Foreign Service. Later he was in charge of Bangladesh Desk for a long time and also for many years in the role of Indian Ambassador in Dhaka.
The veteran diplomat told BBC Bangla, "Rehman Sobhan and Anisur Rahman - these two well-known economists have come to Delhi from Dhaka with great difficulty."
"Their economist friend Sukhmoy Chakraborty was then in the Planning Commission. He arranged their meeting with Secretary to the Prime Minister PN Haksar."
"From the description of Rehman Sobhan, Haksar is the first to understand what indescribable torture is being inflicted on Bangladeshis."
ঢাকায় ভারতের সাবেক রাষ্ট্রদূত মুচকুন্দ দুবে
PHOTO SOURCE,BBC BANGLA
Photo caption,
Former Indian Ambassador to Dhaka Muchkunda Dubey
The first meeting between Indira and Tajuddin
After confirming the identities of Anisur Rahman and Rehman Sobhan Tajuddin, they were taken to the PM's residence at 10 Safdarjung Road around 10 pm the next day.
Indira Gandhi was walking on the verandah waiting for the guests.
In the book 'Tajuddin Ahmed: Leader and Father', his daughter Sharmin Ahmed describes the meeting as follows:
This is how their conversation started in the non-redundant study room. Indira Gandhi first asked her father, "How is Sheikh Mujib?" Our work is going on as per his plan. "In this discussion, Abbu told Indira Gandhi very clearly," This is our war. We want India not to get involved. We are fighting for our freedom and we want to do it ourselves. "
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However, Tajuddin clarified on the same day that they would need training, shelter and arms to build their own liberation forces.
He also requested Mrs. Gandhi to provide shelter and food to millions of refugees soon.
First government, then recognition
At that first meeting, Tajuddin also requested India to give diplomatic recognition to independent Bangladesh immediately.
But Golak Majumder, a traveling companion and BSF official in Delhi, later said that Indira Gandhi had said "recognition will come at the right time - it is not her time yet."
তাজউদ্দিন আহমেদের সঙ্গে প্রথম সাক্ষাতেই ইন্দিরা গান্ধী জানতে চেয়েছিলেন ''শেখ মুজিব কোথায়?''
PHOTO SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Photo caption,
In her first meeting with Tajuddin Ahmed, Indira Gandhi wanted to know, "Where is Sheikh Mujib?"
In Tanvir Mokammel's documentary 'Tajuddin Ahmed: Lonely Charioteer', Mr. Majumder further said that Mrs. Gandhi had earlier advised them to form an expatriate government.
Shantanu Mukherjee, a security analyst in Delhi and a Bangladesh watcher, also worked in Dhaka for a long time on behalf of the Indian government.
Recalling the time, he said, "Work was in full swing at the time. In early April, Tajuddin and his associates met with the Prime Minister, and on the 10th the interim government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was formed."
"Tajuddin Ahmed took over as Prime Minister on the 12th. Amir-ul-Islam, who entered India with him on the afternoon of March 30, drafted the Declaration of Independence."
ইতিহাসবিদ রামচন্দ্র গুহ
PHOTO SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Photo caption,
Historian Ramchandra Guha
"Exactly five days later, on April 17, all the cabinet members were sworn in at Vaidyanathtala, a village in Meherpur, near the Indian border, with Syed Nazrul Islam as the caretaker president."
Though Bangladesh was not given diplomatic recognition at that time, Indian historian Ramchandra Guha wrote in his autobiography 'India After Gandhi' that the war of liberation was referred to as 'Struggle for Bangladesh' in India's secret government documents from March-April.
He also drew this comparison, just as the Allies supported the 'Free French Force' led by Charles de Gaulle on English soil during World War II, so did India's expatriate government in Bangladesh.
According to Shantanu Mukherjee, a major aspect of this support was military assistance - but initially the leadership and strategy of the Mukti Bahini was decided by the cabinet of the expatriate government.
শারমিন আহমদের গ্রন্থের প্রচ্ছদ
PHOTO SOURCE,BBC BANGLA
Photo caption,
Cover of Sharmin Ahmed's book
In the words of Mr. Mukherjee, "Colonel MAJ Osmani, who later became the Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh, was a man from Sylhet - he became its Commander-in-Chief after forming the Mukti Bahini."
"From a military point of view, the whole of Bangladesh was divided into eleven sectors and one sector commander was appointed in each."
At the same time, Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was launched, which means Bangladesh's own radio station in exile. "
"Then the work was as smooth as an oil-eating machine ... backup, support, training, who will come, who will go, where the office will be built ..."
"As a result, directions from Delhi, executions in Kolkata, activation of sectors - the results of which we all know, as history will testify."
নিরাপত্তা বিশ্লেষক শান্তনু মুখার্জি
PHOTO SOURCE,BBC BANGLA
Photo caption,
Security analyst Shantanu Mukherjee
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The role of PN Hawkser
The most trusted secretary to the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was Parameshwar Narayan Haksar, better known as PN Haksar.
Both are from Allahabad, both are Kashmiri scholars - PN Haksar has been described by Indira Gandhi as not only an eye-ear, but also an 'alter ego'.
Haqsar's residence at 4/9 Santiniketan in Delhi became the focal point of the Bangladesh movement in the Indian capital from the end of March.
His daughter Nandita Haksar is a well-known human rights lawyer in India today. She was a college student in 1971.
ভারতের সুপরিচিত মানবাধিকার আইনজীবী নন্দিতা হাকসার
PHOTO SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Photo caption,
Human rights lawyer Nandita Haksar
Nandita Haksar told BBC Bangla, "Initially, everyone in Delhi was concerned about the refugee crisis. But the father's role is that he or some people close to the Prime Minister, like DP Dhar, first realize that India's support for Bangladesh's liberation struggle is more important than the refugee problem."
"The spontaneous support of the whole of India for an independent Bangladesh was waning at that time. I remember the Calcutta Youth Choir came to Delhi to sing in support of the expatriate government of Bangladesh and stayed at our house."
"We went out on the streets of Delhi by truck to raise money, the coma's Ruma sang Guhathakurta, the mother spread the sari and took the money - a beggar in Connaught Place also turned his beggar upside down for Bangladesh that day!"
Confusion about when to recognize
In fact, Indira Gandhi was reluctant to grant diplomatic recognition to Bangladesh in April, in which case Bangladesh's liberation struggle could have been seen as part of an Indian conspiracy.
মঈদুল হাসানের গ্রন্থের প্রচ্ছদ
PHOTO SOURCE,BBC BANGLA
Photo caption,
Cover of Maidul Hasan's book
Maidul Hasan, a close associate of Tajuddin Ahmed, wrote in his book 'Main Article 71':
In the midst of national preparations, Tajuddin sees it as reasonable to keep the question of India's recognition alive as a demand - waiting for the right opportunity and time. Tajuddin's perception, however, was not accepted by most of his colleagues The war. "
Muchkunda Dubey also told the BBC: "Who will be the right leader in Bangladesh's struggle or who will be the right leader, who is not - in Delhi by March-April, but that idea has not been formed properly."
"It was not even on Delhi's priority list - at first they were relying on some input from the Research and Analysis Wing or RAW."
একাত্তরের যুদ্ধে অংশগ্রহণের জন্য ভারতীয় সেনাবাহিনীর প্রস্তুতি।
PHOTO SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Photo caption,
Indian Army prepares to take part in the 1971 war.
"Soon after the formation of the expatriate government, but that relationship took root. The Indira Gandhi government has not had to rely on isolated intelligence ever since."
Although Delhi has taken time to recognize Bangladesh, one state government after another has welcomed the new country and started taking proposals.
In the words of Dr. Sriradha Dutta, Senior Fellow of the Indian think tank VIF and Bangladesh researcher, "Even with the active cooperation of the Indian Army, the BSF had practically opened the border, the entry of refugees was free."
"And since the BSF is the central force, it is safe to say that it had the consent of Delhi."
"In the meantime, many states like Bihar, UP, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura have started proposing in their legislatures in support of independent Bangladesh. The Center has also said in Parliament that we are not against recognition."
১৯৭১-এ পার্লামেন্ট ভবনে একটি বৈঠকে প্রধানমন্ত্রী ইন্দিরা গান্ধী
PHOTO SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Photo caption,
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at a meeting at the Parliament House in 1971
"As a result, various state governments before the Center but formally started taking that step."
'Defection' of diplomats
Another process began with the covert support of Delhi - from April onwards, groups of Bengali diplomats from the Pakistani embassies in Calcutta and Delhi began to flock to Bangladesh, boosting the morale of the caretaker government in exile.
Shantanu Mukherjee said, "Two diplomats from the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, KM Shahabuddin and Amjadul Haque, were defected on April 7."
"You see, the Mujibnagar government was not even established then - but the spirit of independence was so strong that they took such a big risk."
ইন্দিরা গান্ধীর হয়ে ঢাকায় বাংলাদেশ সরকারের কাছ থেকে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ সম্মাননা গ্রহণ করছেন সোনিয়া গান্ধী। জুলাই, ২০১১
PHOTO SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Photo caption,
Sonia Gandhi is receiving the Liberation War Award from the Government of Bangladesh in Dhaka on behalf of Indira Gandhi. July,