NEW DELHI: Letters from Independent India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, addressed to Finance Minister John Mathai and West Bengal Chief Minister Bidhan Chandra Roy, reveal a lesser-known episode that highlights his concern over governance, political perception, and administrative fairness in the early years after Partition. These documents, now available through digitised Nehru archives, show Nehru intervening in the income-tax assessment case involving Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, a highly controversial political figure associated with Bengal’s Partition-era violence.
Suhrawardy, the last Premier of undivided Bengal, was widely accused of playing a role in escalating communal tensions during the 1946 “Direct Action Day,” which triggered widespread violence in Calcutta. His political legacy remained deeply polarising, with some critics labeling him the “Butcher of Bengal” due to the communal carnage that followed. Despite this background, he later moved to Pakistan and eventually became its Prime Minister in 1956.
The correspondence indicates that Suhrawardy complained directly to Nehru about what he described as excessive income-tax demands, reportedly amounting to nearly ?50 lakh for the assessment years 1945–46 and 1946–47, alleging harassment by tax authorities. Rather than treating it as a routine administrative matter, Nehru forwarded the complaint to Finance Minister John Mathai and expressed concern that any “high-handed” action could carry serious political consequences. He also wrote to Bidhan Chandra Roy seeking clarification on the assessments.
In his letter, Nehru admitted uncertainty about the accuracy of Suhrawardy’s claims but stressed the need for a thorough inquiry. While acknowledging Suhrawardy’s “bad record” as Premier of Bengal, he also noted that the latter had later aligned with Mahatma Gandhi’s peace efforts, suggesting a more complex political history. (IANS)
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