THE INDIAN PRINCES

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 February 1947, Page 4

THE INDIAN PRINCES

MAY JOIN INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT (Rec. 10.35 a.m.) LONDON, February 9. The Indian princes came'a step nearer to possible participation in India’s independence effort by agreeing to discuss proposals tor their representation in the Constituent Assembly, reports the Associated Press New Delhi correspondent. The negotiating committee, which the Moslem League is still boycotting, has apparently accepted the preliminary basis laid down by the princes, who took the stand that the British Government had made it clear that it was for the States to decide whether they wished to join the Indian union. A joint statement from the princes and the negotiating committee stated: “Friendly and satisfactory discussions have taken place.’ It added that the secretaries of the Constituent Assembly and the Chamber of Princes had been asked to “draw up detailed proposals for the apportionment of the 93 seats allocated to the States.” The’ correspondent says that Congress has consistently maintained that the representatives of the States in the assembly must include those of the peoples, hot only the rulers. The Chamber of Princes, endorsed this move but not all the rulers have concurred. In Lahore the police to-day arrested 120 for organising a procession in defiance of the Punjab Government’s public safety ordinance.