As the Muslim League solidified its base in the coastal districts, a parallel and significant expansion was occurring in Western Odisha, specifically in Sambalpur. The growth of the League in this region was distinct due to its unique demographic composition, which included a mix of indigenous Odia-speaking Muslims and an influential migrant merchant class from neighbouring provinces. The Sambalpur branch became an operational stronghold in the early 1940s, serving as a gateway for the League’s ideology to penetrate the interior highlands.

Local leadership in Sambalpur capitalised on the linguistic anxieties of the community, framing the Congress government’s promotion of Odia as a direct threat to the Urdu-based cultural identity of Western Odisha’s Muslims. The organisational strength in Sambalpur was such that the League managed to bridge the geographical gap between the coastal plains and the western plateaus. By the time of the 1946 elections, Sambalpur was grouped into the Balasore-Sambalpur Muslim Constituency, a strategic move that allowed the League to mobilise a vast, diverse electorate.

Advertisement

The campaign in Sambalpur was characterised by massive street processions and the fervent display of the League’s green flags, signalling that the demand for Pakistan had successfully transcended the coastal heartland. A definitive escalation in separatist rhetoric occurred on 15 May 1942, when Nawab Ismail Khan and Muhammad Isa Khan arrived in Cuttack. Their tour of the northern districts was not merely an administrative visit but a mission to strengthen the ideological foundations of the Pakistan demand. Muhammad Isa Khan, a leader known for his oratorical skills, addressed massive gatherings in Balasore and Bhadrak.

Advertisement

His speeches were characterised by an uncompromising adherence to the Two-Nation Theory. He asserted that Muslims were not a minority within a nation, but a separate nation altogether, possessing a unique philosophy, distinct social customs, and a literary heritage that was incompatible with Hindu civilisation. He explicitly warned the Muslims of Odisha to stay away from the Congress-led “Quit India” movement, framing it as a “Hindu struggle” for total........

© The Statesman