MOT WORTH WHILE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22199, 9 December 1946, Page 7

MOT WORTH WHILE

VISIT TOLONDON CONGRESS REACTION BRITISH STATEMENT (11.30 am.) LONDON. Dec. 8. The Congress Party working committee met to discuss the British Government’s statement on the London talks with the Indian leaders and the question of grouping provinces in the Constituent Assembly, says _ Reuter's correspondent in New Delhi. The committee adjourned until later in the day to hear Mr. Nehru, who arrived with Sikh loader, Sardar Bal-dc-v Sinnli by air soon after the adinurnment. Mr Nehru .said in Karachi, that, except for a renewal of old friendships, the visit to London had not been worth while. Judgment Favours Moslems. The British statement of December 5 had been •'somewhat in the nature of an addition or amendment to the statement of the Cabinet mission on May 16 although it was claimed to be merely an elucidation.” Tlie statement after the London talks also “contained what appeared to be some changes and additions to the draft read to us before we left London,” he said. In New Delhi to-day. Dr. Kripalam. president of the All-India Congress, said the British statement appeared to bo a judgment in favour of the Moslem League but Congress was not perturbed. Other Congress members were critical. The Congress working committee is busy with preparations to open the Constituent Assembly to-morrow without the Moslem League. The Congress Party intends to refer the question of the grouping of provinces to the, Federal Court and is prepared to accept the court s ruling, whatever it may be, says Reuter’s correspondent in New Delhi, quoting an authoritative Congress source. Members of the British Cabinet and all the Indian leaders met tor the first time round the same table in No. 10 Downing street on Friday night, but only to talk about .the terms of the official statement and. even on this, the Indian leaders could not agree, says the Daily Express political correspondent. The statement was read, over to them, but it was issued entirely on the authority of the British Government. The conference lasted 70 minutes. The British Government issued a statement, saying that the main difficulty had arisen over the interpretation of sub-sections 5 and 8 of paragraph 19 in the Cabinet mission’s statement of May 16 1946. relating to electoral decisions of the sections into which the provinces are grouped. The statement adds: “The Moslem League accepted the Cabinet mission s view that the decisions of the sections should be taken by a simple majority vote of representatives. The Congress Partv put forward a different view and asserted .the true meaning of the statement is that provinces have the right to decide both as to grouping and to their own constitutions. Cabinet Mission’s Intentions

“The Government had legal advice which confirmed that the statement of May 16 means what the Cabinet mission had always stated was their intention. Therefore, this part of the statement must be considered an essential part of the scheme for enabling the Indian people to formulate the constitution which (he British Government would be prepared to submit to Parliament. It should, therefore, be accepted by all parties in the Constituent Assernbly. "It is clear, however, that other questions of interpretation may . arise and the Government hopes that if the council of the Moslem is able to agree to participate in the Constituent Assembly, it will also agree, as has Congress, that the Federal Court should be asked to decide matters of interpretation referred by either side and will accept such'-.a decision. “The Government urges Congress, to accept the view of the Cabinet mission in order that the way may be open for the Moslem League to reconsider its attitude. If. in spite of this reaffirmation of the Cabinet mission’s intention, the Constituent Assembly desires that this fundamental point should be referred for the decision of the Federal Court, such reference should be made at a very early date. It would then be reasonable that meetings of sections of the Constituent Assembly should be postponed until the decision of t.ie Federal Court is known.

No Pressure on Opponents

“There has never been any prospect of success for the Constituent Assembly except upon a basis of an agreed procedure. Should the constitution be framed by the Constituent Assembly in which a large section of Indian populations would not be represented, the Government could not contemplate—as Congress had stated they would not contemplate—forcing such a constitution upon any unwilling parts ot tile country.” T , The Federal Court sits in India. It comprises British, Moslem and Hindu members. . The conference at least provided an opportunity for the Government to make its own objective plain, says The Times in a leader, namely, a constitution framed by the Constituent Assembly in which a large section of the Indian population would not be represented could not be forced upon parts of the country unwilling to accept it. “Thus,” The Times points out, "the assurance for which the Moslem League has been waiting is now forthcoming and there seems to be no reason why Mr. Jinnah and his Moslem League colleagues should not accept the suggestion of referring disputed interpretations of the British Cabinet missions plan to the Federal Court.” The Times’ Parliamentary correspondent says the Moslem League declines to accept at face value Mr. Nehru s statement that “the Congress Party will accept the British Cabinet missions plan in its entirety.” It is still thenview that the Congress Party will adhere to an interpretation of the plan which would destroy the proposed grouping of provinces ' which led to the Moslem League’s acceptance of the plan. . Alternative to Pakistan

The correspondent points out that the dispute refers to the provinces covering the areas in the north-west and northeast. which the Moslems always wished to erect into their independent sovereign State of Pakistan. With the grouping of the provinces in these areas, the correspondent says, the plan offers the Moslems an alternative to Pakistan through an association of these nrovinccs for common objects and they fear that the Congress Party’s interpretation of the method whereby voting rights are to be exercised would dispute this grouping. Reuter’s correspondent in New Delhi says it is announced that the Congress working committee will meet to-day to review the British statement on the London talks.

Emphasising that the London conversations represent an endeavour, perhaps the last endeavour Britain . can make, to preserve India’s unity by peaceful means. The Times, in _ a leader, says: “A principal aim of British policy has been to preserve that unity and transfer it intact to Indian hands. This policy derives from the decision of the British people and not of any political party to transfer authority in India io an administration based upon the support of major communities.

One-Sided Interpretation

“The Cabinet mission made it clear at the time' that if the major communities accepted the British plan, Britain would give effect to their choice of means whereby British authority could be vested in Indian hands.” The Congress Party’s one-sided interpretation of the provision for the grouping of the provinces was duly corrected by the Cabinet mission, says The Times but there was no sustained assertion by the Government that persistence in this interpretation would destroy the whole basis of the plan and render he Congress Party’s acceptance of it meaningless from the Moslem

viewpoint. The Moslem League tl\u: acquired a substantial grievance bu’ injured its case by denouncing the plai and threatening recourse to “direc action.”

The Times adds: “It was at no tim< the British intention that the Congrcs Party alone should constitute the sue cession Government. The course o events may seem to have brought thi very near, but it is plain that the Brit ish authority could never have beer employed to coerce the Moslem Leagui into subordination.” Calcutta Riots Feared

The Governor of Bengal has pro claimed a state of emergency in most o Calcutta because the “possibility of : fresh outbreak of communal strife can not be ignored.” reports Reuter's cor respondent in Calcutta. The Bombay Government announce! that the police fired in the Dongri arei in central Bombay to stop stone throwing between communal rioters.