Panaji, June 23 Had Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee not resisted, Assam and undivided Punjab and Bengal would have been handed over to Pakistan during the Partition, former Goa Assembly Speaker Rajendra Arlekar said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the state BJP headquarters in Panaji, on the occasion of Mukherjee's death anniversary that is observed as 'Balidan Diwas', Arlekar said that Mukherjee was responsible for securing the present-day geographical contours of India.
"In 1947, when the country was unnaturally partitioned, Dr Mukherjee played a big role to salvage (India). What is referred to as West Bengal today, the Congress at the time had decided to give it away, along with present day Bangladesh to Pakistan, along with Assam. In the West, Punjab was also slated to be handed over to Pakistan," the state BJP executive member said.
"Mukherjee had insisted that Dhaka, current capital of Bangladesh, as well as Lahore should be part of India. He persisted with Mahatma Gandhi to include Assam in India. Finally, the Congress compromised," Arlekar said, adding that the credit for securing more territory for India during the Partition was due to the late Jana Sangh leader.
( With inputs from IANS )