BRITISH WITHDRAWAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Chronicle (Levin), 20 May 1946, Page 8

BRITISH WITHDRAWAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

LONDON, May 17. If the Indians decide for complete independence outside the British Conimonwealth when making their new Constitution, the British troops will be withdrawn immediately unless the Indians wish othetwise. This was explainfed by the Leader of the British Cabinet Mlssion^ Lord PfethiCk-Law-reiice, at a Press conference todayi . For an hour and a half Lord PethickLawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and Mr. Alexander made every atteihjit tb coiivince their Indian questioners that they wanted Britain's new plan for India to be accepted in a form which would allow Britain to surrender the. control of the country as soon as possible. | The mission made it clear that once j the proposed Coristitution-making hody | was in session its powers would he j virtually unlimited, though the GovernI ment would remain responsible for the I preservation of law and- order until the new Constitution was completed. Lord Pethick-Lawrence said he was not sure what process would be required for tlie abrogation by the King of the ti tle of Emperor of India. There would, of course, have to be a Parliamentary debate, and some defuiite steps would have to be taken, with the consent of the King. Since the Government had a cohsiderable working majority in the House of Commons, he did not antieipate any serious diffieulties. Asked whether he agreed with Mr. Churchill 's criticism tliilt the mission was working . not to gain an empire liut to cast it away, Lord PethickLawrence replied: "What the mission is doing is in accord with the views of' the really great statesmen of Britain/ Nothing could eontribute more to the maintenance' of the liighest traditions of . liberty prevailing in Britain thail the emergence, as a result of their labours, of a sovereign country of India where the relationship. with Britain would be one of friehdliness and e quality." Lord Pethick-Lawrence said that the mission would remain in India for the next part of the job, which was to get the proposals accepted by the. two main bodies, the Congress Party and the Moslem League. The India Office was already being liquidated, he said. Tlie status of the princely States had been inteutionally left vague. They oecupied a special position and had to be brought into the proposed Indian Union by negotiations between the Constitution-making body and the rfepresentatives of the States. "Bliteprint for Freedom." The Viceroy, Field-Marshal Lord Wavell, broadcasting to India, described the constitutional proposals as "a bfueprint for freedom." I-Ie said he wished that the Indian- leaders had reached agreement themselves. "The proposals obviously are not those which any oue of the parties woul'd .have .ehosen. for themselves," he conr tiiiued, "It is my earnest desire that in the interim period tiie Government should be in the hands of Indian leaders. These.men. can be the arehitec.ts of a new India. With good will, even an apparently illogicai arrangement ean be made to work. It is the -most monientous experiment in government in history. It requires gi*eatness of miiid, which will not be found wanting in India, as it has not been in Britain. ' '