When India and Pakistan attained independence on 15 August 1947, the British province of Bengal was partitioned into two, with West Bengal becoming part of India and East Bengal part of Pakistan.
Disliked by Bengalis for his criticism of the Bengali revolutionary Subhas Chandra Bose during the 1938 Tripuri Congress session,[REF] Rajagopalachari's appointment was unsuccessfully opposed by Bose's brother Sarat Chandra Bose [REF].