The main argument put forward by the British for the partition of Bengal in 1905 was:

The main argument given by the British for the partition of Bengal in 1905 was administrative convenience: the Bengal Presidency was too large to be governed efficiently by a single Lieutenant-Governor.

The official argument:

• The Bengal Presidency included Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and parts of Assam, with a population of about 78 million.
• The government argued that the province was too large and difficult to administer, and that the eastern districts were neglected.

The partition:

Bengal was divided into two provinces:

• "Eastern Bengal and Assam", with its capital at Dacca (Dhaka); it had a Muslim majority.
• "Bengal" (western Bengal, with Bihar and Orissa), with its capital at Calcutta; it had a Hindu majority, but the Bengali-speaking Hindus became a minority within it, as most of the population spoke Hindi or Oriya.
• The partition came into effect on 16 October 1905.

The real motive (NCERT):

• NCERT notes that the British claimed that the partition was for administrative convenience.
• But the real motive was to curtail the influence of Bengali politicians and to split the Bengali people.
• Bengal was the nerve centre of Indian nationalism, and the British wanted to weaken it by dividing it on religious lines.
• Official documents of the time show that the government wanted to "split up and thereby weaken a solid body of opponents to our rule".

Reaction:

• The partition caused great anger across India, and especially in Bengal.
• 16 October 1905 was observed as a day of mourning; people fasted, and no fires were lit in kitchens.

The Swadeshi and Boycott Movement:

• The anti-partition movement led to the Swadeshi Movement, which called for the boycott of foreign goods and the use of Indian goods.
• It also led to national education, the setting up of Indian industries, and new forms of protest.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Religious harmony was not the reason given; the partition in fact divided people on religious lines.
• ✗The development of Assam and military defence were not the main arguments.