Question 5
Why is Shyamaprasad Mukherjee called a friend of the refugees?
Answer
Shyamaprasad Mukherjee is called a friend of the refugees because he was known to be sympathetic towards the plight of the East Bengal refugees who had fled to West Bengal during the partition of India in 1947. He discussed the refugee problem at length with engineer Sri Surendra and went on a tour of inspection of the refugee camps to see the situation first-hand. He was in favour of the policy of ‘exchange of people and property’, which meant that Hindus from East Bengal would be resettled in West Bengal, and Muslims from West Bengal would be resettled in East Bengal. This policy was opposed by Prime Minister Nehru on the grounds of high political morality. Shyamaprasad Mukherjee’s support for the refugees and his advocacy for their resettlement led him to resign from his post as a Central Minister when his policies were not implemented. He later formed a new political party called Janasangha and continued to criticize Nehru’s handling of the refugee problem.
