WIDE DIVERGENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26479, 5 June 1947, Page 7

WIDE DIVERGENCE

VIEWS OF INDIAN PRESS CAUTIOUS NOTE PREDOMINANT Rec. 11.30 p.m. NEW DELHI, June 4. The Hindustan Times, edited by Mahatma Gandhi’s son, endorsing the plan for India, says it has been constructed with extraordinary skill and ingenuity. The saving feature of the. whole scheme is that once the glamour of division has passed, and natural forces come into play, it will be possible to unite again. Dawn, the official Moslem paper, hailing Pakistan as a reality, accuses Britain of having “ cruelly, ruthlessly and unjustly parcelled out Moslem territory, giving away considerable tracts to the Hindus.” It adds that Hindustan and Pakistan should not start their new careers of independence in an attitude of mutual hostility. The transition to independence and the subsequent relationship of the two nations can still be smooth and harmonious. The independent Times of India, commenting on the plan, said it represented the only method by which Indias’ constitutional problem could be settled justly and peacefully. Its rejection by one party would almost certainly lead to disaster.! The ultra-nationalist Free Press Journal described the plan as a great betrayal. “It is a veritable monster let loose on the people of India and must be rejected outright.” it stated. The National Standard says, “The plan is not a solution but only a move from one deadlock to another, generating more intense unrest.” The British-owned Statesman comments that the first reactions on acceptance of the plan have been encouraging, “ but too hasty optimism should be curbed. The reluctant assent by the Indian leaders and the wise advice which the three of them broadcast are not enough. Public sentiments on the plan must be well tested through representative bodies and individual statements by the methods which the plan provides.”