LATEST INDIA PLAN

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24913, 28 June 1946, Page 7

LATEST INDIA PLAN

Temporary Government Of Officials STATEMENT BY BRITISH MISSION

(N Z. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 11p.m.) NEW DELHI, June 27. The British Cabinet Mission, in a Anal statement, the Viceroy of India (Lord Wavell) intends to establish a tem porary caretaker Government of otticiais. It is proposed that further negotiations slrouM be adjourned briefly while the elections to the taking place. The mission proposes to leave India on Saturday to report to the British Cabinet and Parliament., Lord Wavell is now drawing up a list of the officials who will compose the caretaker Government. The mission regrets, that it has not so far proved possible to form an interim eoahUon Government. but t that U c mission and the Viceroy are determined that the effort shoum be renewed in accordance with the terms of paragraph \IH ol ?hc Viceroy’s statement of June 16, in which the Viceroy sa d that in the event of either major partv Paving Govin a coalition he intended to proceed to form an interim uov eminent as representative as possible. The statement expresses pleasure that constitution-making could now proceed with the consent of tbe two major P and the States. It welcomes the statement by the leaders of the Congress Party and the Moslem League that they_mtend to try to work in the Constituent Assembly so as to make it a speedy and effective means of devising new constitutional arrangements under which India can achieve ’ndependencc. It hopes that when the discussions are resumed the leaders v> 1! do their utmost to arrive at an accommodation on the Govern ment’s composition.

“India han received the Cabinet Mission's statement in a mood ol disillusionment and suspicion—the disillusionment mostly because of the exhibition ot chronic communalism by Indian leaders which throughout the talks forced the mission into the invidious role of arbiter between conflicting elements,” says the New Delhi correspondent of “The Times. The saddest thing about the whole three months’ proceedings has been the only too obvious desire of the majority and ■minority communities to avoid shouldering responsibility for leading the country into independence unless they have British backing for their exaggerated claims upon other communities. This might be laughable if it was not so tragic. ..... “It is difficult to see how the Viceroy, who now faces the tremendous task of administering with official* only can hope to exorcise the spirit of intolerance and intransigeance which is at the root of the breakdown. The country now faces the prospect of electing a Constituent Assembly which will hammer out it* independence. No one pretend* this wul be other than a protracted and Herculean task. If it i* not to fail it must be conducted in an atmosphere free from sectarian strife, which is precisely why the British statesmen are so stressing the need for a coalition Government for the interim period." Congress Statement “A provisional Government must have power, authority, and responsibility and function in fact if not In law as a de facto, independent Government, leading to full independence,” says a* statement by the Congress Party rejecting the provisional or interim Government. “In the formation of a provisional or other Government Congress men can never give up the national character of Congress or accept an artificial, unjust parity or agree to the veto of a communal group. “The Working Committee has decided that Congress should join the proposed Constituent Assembly with a view to framing the constitution of a free, united, democratic India. However, it is the committee’s opinion that it is essential that a representative, responsible provisional national Government should be formed at the earliest possible moment. A continuation of the authoritarian, unrepresentative Government can only add to the suffering of the famished masses and cause increased discontent It will also jeopardise the work of the Constituent Assembly, which can function only in a free environment.

Dong-Tenn Proposals “The committee examined the proSosals contained in the statements ot lay IB and June 18 from the viewpoints of the Congress Party objectives—immediate independence and the opening of avenues leading to the rapid advance of the masses, both economically and socially. These proposals fall short of these objective*, yet the committee considered them earnestly because of a desire to find some way for a peaceful settlement of India s problem and the ending of the conflict between India and England ” Drawing attention to the defect* of the long term proposal, the statement says: of the central authority as contained in the prop^alt’ as wel < 1 as “’S system of grouping the provinces, has weakened the whole structure, and It is unfair to some provinces such as the Northwest Frontier, Assam, and some minorities, notably the Sikhs. The committee feels, however, that taking the proposals as a whole, there is su" flcient scope for enlarging and strengthemng the central authority and for fully ensuring a province’s right to act according to its choice as regards grouping and give protec.tion to such minorities as might otherpiaced at a disadvantage t It 1S , cl S ar ,hat ** would be a breach o£ spirit of the state16 l £ non-Indians participated in the voting or stood for the SMbS s c to°tt nt A “ embly ’’' INDIAN PASSIVE RESISTERS 50 MORE ARRESTS IN DURBAN LONDON, June 27. Another 50 Indian passive resisters without disturbs ”e *s®? occupied a block of d . n ant k says Reuter’s correspondent m Durban. "Dr. G. M chafrma “ of the Natal Indian n“ght ' WaS arreste<i O' l Tuesday