Yusuf Ali Chowdhury - Legacy

Legacy

Many historians share the view that despite being highly reputed of liberal views and personal honesty and integrity, Mohan Mia's opposition to the breakup of Pakistan cost his popularity amongst the masses dearly. Bangladesh's leading English language newspaper, The Daily Star, in an article in memory of Mohan Mia commented the following.

If any politician of this country is to be remembered for uncommon qualities of head and heart and for nearly half a century of dedicated and selfless public service, the name of Yusuf Ali Chowdhury comes to the fore. He knew from his own commitment to the cause of the Bengali language and the issue of political, economic and social justice for the Bengali people that liberation was imminent and it would need all the wisdom and efforts of the people and the political leaders to reconstruct the shattered land and take it on to the path of progress and prosperity. The post-liberation Bangladesh surely needed the services of an extraordinarily wise, selfless and incorruptible politician like Mohan Mia.

Due to his opposition to the breakup of Pakistan, Mohon Mia is not viewed favourably by many in Bangladesh for his association with razakars. His image and reputation has largely been suppressed and except in his home district of Faridpur, the new generation of Bangladeshis are largely unaware of him.

With regard to his contribution to the Pakistan movement, Mohon Mia is seen as an instrumental figure in the Muslim League, especially in Bengal. In the subsequent independent Pakistan, Mohon Mia along with A. K. Fazlul Huq pursued vigorous land distribution policies for the peasants of East Bengal and he is seen as one of the architects of the East Pakistan Estates Acquisitions Act that abolished the feudal system of zamindari, despite himself coming from a powerful landlord family. He is also credited for standing up for Bengali rights against Pakistan's establishment in the 1950s, for which he was jailed.

His sons and other relatives have continued to engage prominently in Bangladesh's political scene but they are seen to be deeply divided as members of different political platforms. Mohon Mia's eldest son Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf was Bangladesh's Minister of Food and Disaster Management in the cabinet of Begum Khaleda Zia during the 2001-2006 tenure of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.