1. Religion is the Opium of the people,
2. Use the moderates against the extremists in Indian National Congress.
Formation of Muslim League :
Islamic rule was established across northern India between the 7th and the 14th centuries. The Mughal Empire ruled most of India from Delhi since the early 16th century until its power was broken by the British in the 19th century. This left a disempowered and discontented muslim minority, afraid of beingswamped by the Hindu majority. Muslim represents about 23 % of the population of british India, and constituted the majority of the population in Baluchistan, East Bengal, Kashmir Valley, North west frontier Province, Punjab region and the Sindh region of the Bombay Presidency.
Muslim elite like Nawab Abdul Latif, Syed Amir Ali (1849-1928 ) and others established cultural organisations for propagation of English education among the muslims in the absence of which the community would remain deprived of the benefits of the colonial rules.
Syed Ameer Ali (1849-1028)
Thus the Muslim Cultural Organisations like the Mohammedan Litery Society (1863), Central Mohamedan Association (1877), Sir Syed's United Indian Patriotic association (1888) and many otherlocal anzumans became more active in social regenerative activities than in politics.
The Muslim leaders of India met informally once a year ina conference to discuss educational problems of the Muslim community and to dessiminate the thought of loyalty to the Raj. Such a conference (All India Muslim Education Conference ) was held in Shahbag in Dhaka in 1906 against the backdrop of the congress sponsored against the Partition of Bengal (1905) and the Swadeshi Movement . Previously a deputation of Muslim leaders met the Governer General Lord Minto (1907-1911) at Simla in order to ventilate problems, special to the Muslim community of India.
Lord Minto
Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka who was at first supporter of anti-partition of Bengal, became a staunchest supporter of the Partition of Bengal felt the need to form a political party with the objectives of safeguarding the interests of the Indian Muslims, Nawab Viqar-ul-Mulk, chairman of the conference, supported the motion and thus the All India Muslim League (AIML) came into being.
Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka
