Britain Approves of Plan

Chronicle (Levin), 18 May 1946, Page 7

Britain Approves of Plan

Press Assn.-

COMPLETE SELF-GOVERNMENT

By Telegraph

-Copyright

. Received Friday, 7 p.m. LONDON, May 16. Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr. Attlee said. the comprehensive six-point plan for an Indian Union of British Provinces and Princes' States, details of which were contained in a White Paper, had the fuil approval of the United Kingdom Government. The menibers of the mission state tliat it was not their objeet to lay out details of the Coiistitution but to set in motion maehiiiery wliereby the Constitutioii can be settlod by the Iudians for Imlia. • Thcy decided on this policy because it becanie clear to them durmg the negotiations that uutil this was doue there was no hope of getting the liindiis u;id the Moslems to join togother in setting up Coiistitution-mah-ing niaeJiinerv. VVhile the most satis-

i'aetory method of setting up the Con-stilution-niaking niacliinery would be | an eleetion based on adult frauchise, auy allenipt at sucli a step would iead I to unaeceptabie delay and tlierefore j tlic mission decided that tlie.oniy prae- | licaule course was to uliliso the reeent- ! ly-eleeled Pruviueial Legislative Asseinj hl ios as tJie electiug bodies. There I were d iilic.nl lies in doiug so, because | ihe nunierical strengths of the Asscm- | blies' did not bear Ihe samu proporlion | lo the total population in each proviucc, j and (herofore tiro mission recommendetl: (1) That each province sliould be allolted a total niimber of seats proportional lo its population, roughly on the ralio uL' oue to a miliiou, as the nearest substilute for representation by adult suli'ragc; (2) lo divide this proviueial' alhn-alion oi' seats between the ntain coniinnnit ies in each produce in proportiou lo iheir jiopulaliou ; (8) ty provide that Ihe repi esentaiives allueated to •eaell eumniunity in each proviuce sliftll be eleeted by ihe niembers of that cominunity in its Legislative Assembly. Rccognition of Threc Main Commmiities. For these purpusos, the mission eonsidered it suliii-iont lo roeoguise the lliree maia eommunities of India — genonil, Moslem, and tiikh. The represenlalives tluis ehoson shall meet at X e w Delhi as soon as possible. The \'ieeroy will iuimediately roquost tho pruviii'-ial Legislatures to proceed to the . eleclion of representatives and •-Uutes, to set up the negotiatiug comlnittee. It will be necessary to ncgotiatc a treaty between tlie L'nion Constituent LXssein bly and the United Kingdom to provide for eertain matters arising from ihe transfer of power. While Ihe Constitution-niaking is going on, it is important that an interim (rovenunent sliould be innnediately set up, lniving Ihe support of the major politieal parties. The Viceroy has at-. ready begun negotiations, and hopes soon to forni an interim (tovernment iix which ail the portfolios, including that of War Minister, will be licUl by Indian leaders having the fuil eoniidence of the peopie. The mission did its utniost to assist tlie two main politieal parties to reach agreement on the fundamental issue of nnity of India, but it failed, and therei'ore it'deemed it its duty to bring forward the best arrangcment to ensure Ihe speedy setting up of a new Constitul ion. The proposals are made with the fuil approval of the British Government. Tliey endeavour to be just to the smaller as well as to the larger sections of ihe people, and recommend a solution leadiug to a practical way of governing India in the future. The evidence submitted to the mission showed an almost universal desire, outsicle the supporters of the Moslem Leagne, for unity in India. if Bakistan (a separate Moslem State), as claimed by the Moslem Leagne, were lo be fonned, it would compriso two aroas — oue in the northv. esl, consisting of the provinces of I'unjali, Sind, Xorth-west Frontior, and British Balnchistan, and the other in ihe norlh-east, consisting of Bengal and Assani. The mission, in studying lignres, fonnd in the uorth-western area tliat the .Moslem population would aniounl lo lkl,f55.'l,21)I and non-M.oslems lo i;;,.SK),2;jl, so that there would be hf.'.i:; per cenl. of nou-Moslems. The .Moslem popululion in the north-eastern area would be D(i,I17,!)lo and the nonMoslein lH),Ulidt:;i5. There would be -1S..'11) per cenl of non-Moslcnis. Moslem minorit ies iu the remainder of India nniubered about 20,01)0,001} among Ihe lolal population of 180,000,000. On thcsc tigurcs, the mission decided that the establishment of a Pakistan State would not solvc the communai minority problcm. Thc mission thcn considercd wlicthcr a small sovcrcign Pakistan confined to the Moslem majority areas would be possible on thc basis of compromise, but for various rcasons decided against that also. Tlie mission drew al tent ion to tlie weiglitv adniinislrative, economie, anu niilitaiw considerations iuvulved, anu pointed out lliat, for example, Ihe whole oi' Ihe (ransport, pustal, and telegrapli ■systems were ostablished 011 the basis of a united India. The case for united defence was eveu stronger. Thc Indian forces were built for defence as a whole, and Pakistan would break them in tw). The eil'ect would be a deadly blow against traditions and officiency. Murcover, the two sections suggosted for Pakistan contained tlie two most vulnerable frontiers of India, and for succe.ssful defence in depth the area of Pakistan would be insufficient. A Difficult Point. There was the i'urther point of the great dilficulty which the Indian States would ilnd iu associating themselves with a divided British India. There was also the fact that the two halves of the proposed Pakistan State were separated by 700 miles, and communiaation between them in both war and peace would depend on the good will of Hindustan. The mission tlierefore was unable to advise the British Goveni-.

ment that tlie power which at presenp resided in British liauds sliould be hapded to two entirely separate 'sbvereign. Btutes. ' * The Congress Party had a seheme under which the pfovinces Would liave fuil autonomy, subject only to.niininium central subjects such as defence, fo.reign affairs, and communications, which would be eontrolled elsewhere. The mission thought that such a sclieuie, thougfi an atteiupt to meet the Moslem apprehensions tliat their culture.an'd politieal and social life miglit be over-dominatccl by the Hindus, had disadvantages. It would be difficult to work the centrai executive on this basis. It was clear that, with the attainment of independence by British India, whether inside or outside thc Britisn Commonweaith, the relatioiisliip between the rulers of the States and the British Crown wiiich ,so i^ar existed would no longer be possible. The States recognised the' fact, and assurcd the mission that they were ready and willing to cooperate in the new devolopmcnt of India. The precise 'forhi of cooperation would be a m^tter for negotiatioli during the building up of the new Coiistitution.