INDIAN POLITICS

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 April 1937, Page 7

INDIAN POLITICS

PROVINCIAL GOVRS.’ POWERS

[BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.]

RUGBY, April 2S.

A statement on thert political: situation in the Indian provinces, where the Congress Party majorities have declined to assume the responsibilities of government, was made in the House of Commons to-day by the Un-der-Secretary of State for India (Mr. Butler). “I observe from recent comment on the intention of the Congress resolution that the main apprehension appears to be lest the Governors should use their special powers for detailed interference in the Administration, Mr. Butler said. “His Majesty’s Government has no intention of countenancing the use of the special powers for other than the purposes for which Parliament intended them. It is certainly not the intention that the Governors, by a narrow or legalistic interpretation of their own responsibilities, should trench upon the wide powers which it was the purpose of Parliament to place in the hands of the Ministries, and which it is our desire that they should use in furtherance of the programmes which they have advocated.” Mr. Butler added that a request to the Viceroy from Gandhi or any other leader would be considered. Mr. Butler also explained that Gandhi’s suggestion for the reference of the issue of the Governors’ powers to a tribunal was unacceptable. He said it was not for such a body to decide whether a Governor could or could not, consistently with the Government of India Act and his own instructions, divest himself of the duties imposed upon him in specific terms by Parliament through those documents.