Indians Already Take Big Share ln Own Government

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1942, Page 3

Indians Already Take Big Share ln Own Government

British Official Wireless.

Sir Stafford Cripps explaing politics! system.

Rec. 8.15 p.m. Kugby, Aug. 23, Although he was emphatic that the formation of a provisional Government in India while the war is in progress was impossible, ■ Sir Stafford Cripps, in an article written fot the New York Times and also published at London, reiterates the British Government's promise of selfgovernment for India after the way and points out that a large measure of self-government is already, enjoyed. British officials now in India, he states, helped the Indian Civil Service to administer the affairs of 389,009,000 people of various races and cultures. The British. officials and troops were no more numerous than those required to administer and police the Panama Canal Zone, Indians had been steadily taking oyer the government, not only administrative services but also the political direction of all India and the provinces of British India. Since 1937 the franchise in British India had risen from a few millions to 36,000,000 and the powers of the provincial Governments were comparable to those of an American State or a Canadian province. Four Indian provinces had native Cabinets and Premiers and complete control of the internal affairs was in their hands. It was only because the Congress Party had withdrawn from the responsibilities of power that control was

not now exereised by Indians in all the provinces. The Indian share in the central legislature had steadily increased until the representation was now 11 Indians to four British. It was this Government that decided to take action against the Congress Party and that action, although approved by, was not suggested by the British Government. Members of the Viceroy's Council were drawn from various sections in India. Mr. Aney was a .former member of the Congress working committee, Mr. Sarkar was chief whip of the Home Rule Party; Sir H. P. Mody had been president oi the ■ Indian Merchants' Chamber; Dr. Ambedkar was the acknowledged leader of the depressed classes; Sir Jogendra Singh was a Sikh landowner; Sjr J. P. Srivastava was a business, man and industrial chemist; Sir Mahammod U$man had been Governor of Madras; Sir Syed Sultan Ahmed was advocate-general' for Bihar, and both Sir Firoz Khan Noon, bf the Punjab, and Sir Ramaswami Mudaliar, of Madras, had been prominent in politics for many years. These men were ardent nationalists and not mere mouthpieces of Britain. They were conducting the Government of India according to their convictions of what was in the best interests of the whole country. Two Indians were on their way to take their places in the British War Cabinet and would have a full voice on all questions relating to the conduct of the war as it affects India.