DIVERGENT VIEWS

Evening Star, Issue 20685, 7 January 1931, Page 10

DIVERGENT VIEWS

DISCUSSIONS OH INDIA

BRITISH CONSERVATIVE POSITION EXPLAINED HINDU-MOSLEM DIFFERENCES STILL HOT SETTLED (British Official Wireless.) I'ress Association—By Telegraph—Copyright, RUGBY, January 6. (Received January 7, at noon.) The acceptance of the principle of the responsibility of the Executive to the Legislature as the centre, announced yesterday by Lord Reading, on behalf of the Liberal section of the British delegation to the Indian Conference. is generally regarded as a highly important development. The newspapers state that the Government section of the delegation is also prepared to adopt thi sprinciple. A more hopeful view is also taken regarding the efforts to read) an agreement on the Hindu-Moslem difference. The Aga Khan returned from Pans last night, and two hours aftpr his arrival, following an informal conversation with some of his fellow-Mos-lern delegates, a joint meeting of the Hindu, Liberal, and Moslem delegates was held at his hotel. The meeting lasted until nearly midnight, and it was engaged on exploring the possibilities of a settlement on the lines indicated in the offer of Sir Chimanlal Setalvad last week. The Aga Khan has. not fully recovered from his indisposition.

THE CONSERVATIVE SPOKESMAN

The conservative attitude towards Indian claims to responsibility with due safeguards at the federal centre was stated before the Federal Structure Sub-committee of the Indian Conference by Sir Samuel Hoare. He pointed out that none of the conditions which wore associated with the idea of responsible government in Britain appeared to exist at present in India. An Indian Cabinet would not be unitary in the British sense. The more he thought of the difference between the Indian position and the British the more ' formidable became in’s doubts. He might have exaggerated the difficulties, but he was certain that the constitution suggested by Sir Taj Bahadur Sapru, would bo so compli cated and vulnerable to, criticism that it would be workable only on a basis of wide acceptance and goodwill in India itself, and they had no evidence at present that such would bo forthcoming. Ho doubted the wisdom of attempting to apply the British House of Commons system to an All-India Federation. Ho was against the setting up of a big popular assembly on tho lines of the House of Commons and direct election, because tho huge size of India and the conditions of its population would make any imitation of the British political system impracticable. He questioned the wisdom of attempting to impose tho British theory of Cabinet responsibility upon a Government that would differ in all respects from the British Government. Ho feared that it would end in blurring the responsibility, in weakening tho Viceroy’s position, and in making the Central Government of a great continent in which there was much inflammable material unstable at the very moment when they were introducing the two groat experiments of an All-India Federation and Provincial Autonomy. They had been appealed to by Sir Taj Bahadur Sapru not to adopt a non-possnmus attitude. Ho responded to that appeal, but because of his doubts he was bound to adopt a non-committal attitude to the question of responsibility at tho centre. Sir Taj Bahadur Sapru then asked if Sir Samuel Hoare contemplated a federation without responsibility at the centre. Sir Samuel Hoare replied that lie wished to see tho completed picture before answering, and tho chairman said tho committee must now start and fill in the picture.

HINDUS AND MOSLEMS

When the Minorities Sub-committee met again this afternoon Sir Muhammad Shah made an oiler on behalf of tho Moslems to forego separate electorates, but attached to it conditions which Dr Moonjo declared to be unacceptable. Sir Muhammad Shah said that although an overwhelming majority of the Moslems still insisted on the retention of separate electorates the Moslem delegates would accept joint electorates provided tho Hindus were willing to concede through tho joint electorates to the Moslems of Bengal and tho Punjab representation in both houses of tho 'Legislative Councils in proportion to their population in those two provinces. That offer ho described as the irreducible minimum.

Dr Moonjo said be was unable to accept Sir Muhammad Shah’s conditions, and pointed out that if all the claims all the minorities had made were added up tho Hindu majority would actually be in a minority, holding about :!5 per cent, of tho seats. During the debate Dr Moonje was invited to make proposals himself, and it was indicated also that further suggestions might come from tho Moslems.

Tho Prime Minister said that ho was still hopeful of a settlement, and he proposed that ho as chairman should summarise the opposing claims in tho form of a draft report on which discussion might bo resumed. He urged them meanwhile to continue the private conservations.