Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Modern India: Understanding Partition

Question:

When did the Congress high command vote for dividing Punjab into two halves?

Options:

March 1947

April 1947

May 1947

June 1947

Correct Answer:

March 1947

Explanation:

It was in March 1947 that the Congress high command voted for dividing Punjab into two halves, one with a Muslim majority and the other with a Hindu/Sikh majority; and it asked for the application of a similar principle to Bengal. By this time, given the numbers game, many Sikh leaders and Congressmen in Punjab were convinced that Partition was a necessary evil, otherwise, they would be swamped by Muslim majorities and Muslim leaders would dictate terms. In Bengal too a section of bhadralok Bengali Hindus, who wanted political power to remain with them, began to fear the “permanent tutelage of Muslims” (as one of their leaders put it). Since they were in a numerical minority, they felt that only a division of the province could ensure their political dominance.