Consider the following statements: 1. 21st February is declared to be the International Mother Language Day by UNICEF. 2. The demand that Bangla has to be one of the national languages was raised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Answer: B. Only statement 2 is correct. Statement 1 is WRONG. 21 FEBRUARY is declared as the INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), NOT UNICEF. The day was proclaimed by UNESCO in November 1999 and recognised by the UN General Assembly in 2008. It commemorates the 21 FEBRUARY 1952 BHASHA ANDOLAN (Bengali Language Movement), when students of Dhaka University were killed protesting the imposition of Urdu as the sole national language of Pakistan. Statement 2 is CORRECT. The DEMAND THAT BANGLA (Bengali) BE ONE OF THE NATIONAL LANGUAGES OF PAKISTAN WAS RAISED IN THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN. After Partition, the Pakistan government (dominated by West Pakistan elite) proposed URDU as the sole national language despite Bengali speakers forming over 50% of Pakistan's population. DHIRENDRANATH DATTA, a Bengali member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan from East Bengal, formally moved on 25 FEBRUARY 1948 that BENGALI BE INCLUDED ALONG WITH URDU as a national language. The motion was rejected, sparking the Language Movement that culminated in the 21 Feb 1952 killings in Dhaka. The Bengali Language Movement was a foundational catalyst for the eventual independence of Bangladesh in 1971. Source: UNESCO Mother Language Day documentation / NCERT Class 12 Themes in Indian History Part III (Partition section) / Bangladesh Liberation War history.