INDIAN MOSLEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 August 1942, Page 5

INDIAN MOSLEMS

CONGRESS ‘PISTOL’ DENOUNCED

SEPARATE STATE DEMANDED BOMBAY, August 14.

The President of the Moslem League (Mr. M. A. Jinnah), in an interview, stated that the Moslems were agreeable to joining a provisional government for the duration of the war provided that they exercised an equal voice with the Hindus, and also that Britain agreed to concede Moslem autonomy after the war. “The Congress Party is not only holding a pistol at the British Government, it is also holding a pistol at me,” said Mr. Jinnah. “We hope the British Government will not make concessions to the Congress Party by sacrificing the Moslems. That would be the last straw for the Moslems. We will not submit to any central government with a Hindu majority. We envisage the separation of Moslem India from Hindu India. Sind, Baluchistan, the Punjab, and the North-west Frontier Provinces will form a Moslem State or Dominion, and Bengal and Assam form another.” HOOLIGANISM CONDEMNED RUGBY, August 14. In a statement condemning organised hooliganism in India, Mr Rajogobalachari, former Premier of Madras, who resigned from the Congress Party Working Committee at the time of the Cripps Mission, said that those who directed activities involving such mad destruction and disregard of human safety were deluding themselves, and were destroying the progress achieved. Printed incitements to sabotage of public property, clothed in Gandhi language, were being widely distributed, and plans to dislocate social order were afoot. If the authorities failed to check these disorders, mob rule of the worst type would be established.

DISTURBANCES CEASING.

(Recd. 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, August 14. Although rioting in India is dying down, observers do not think the Indians are calling off their campaign to oust the British. They forecast that the present violence will be replaced by Gandhi’s policy of passive resistance. There were no disturbances either in Bombay or Delhi to-day. Official figures show that 40 were killed in the disturbances at Delhi and 55 injured. Casualties in Nagpur to last night were six killed and 15 injured. . . Madras Province is quiet, There was some interference with traffic at Calcutta, where the. police had to disperse processions in parts of the city Eight persons were admitted to hospital after the police fired on an unruly mob. The crowd reassembled and stoned a motor car, injuring five occupants, including a military' officer and a woman. Of the total of 64 mills m Bombay, 53 are now working, compared with 37 yesterday.

ORDERS TO UIS.A. TROOPS

WASHINGTON, August 12. The State Department has revealed that it has warned the American troops who are in India that, they have been sent there solely to prosecute the war against and primarily to aid China, but that they should scrupulously avoid participation in India’s internal struggle. in the event of there being disturbances where the Americans are stationea, the Americans are authorised to resort to defensive measures only, should their own safety or that of other American citizens be endangered.

NEHRU AND CHINESE.

(Rec. 11.45 a.m.). LONDON, Aug. 14. The Chinese Central News reports that Nehru, on the eve of his arrest, sent a message to the Chinese, pledging that India will keep faith with China whatever happens, not only because China’s freedom is precious to India, but because it will be entwined with India’s freedom. ‘With China not free, our own freedom would be endangered, and worth little. We believe that this great war is a mighty revolution, w.hich will only succeed on the basis of freedom lor all peoples. Without India’s freedom, it will fail in its purpose.”