Evening star., 1942-02-25
Indies Political Stutus

advisable.
Indies Political Stotus
There is mounting evidence that
Britain's hand in India is being
forced by the fortunes Of war.
In the past Britain's Indian policy,
despite some concessions to national
istic elements, has been notable for
its procrsstination. But events now
taking shape on the Asiatic peninsula
and in London seem destined to work
significant changes in this old order.
No German land mine could have
dropped on Whitehall with greater
explosive effect than Generalissimo
Chang Kai-shek's blunt appeal to
Britain to give real political power"
Immediately to India. If this were to
be done promptly, the Chinese Gen
eralissimo declared, "the Indian
people would realize that their par
tictpation in the war was not merely
to aid anti-aggression nations to Sc
cure victory but also the turning
point in their struggle for their own
freedom"
This alignment of China with In
dia's 400, 900, 900 inhabitants could not
be and was not ignored in London.
Lord Cranborne, Colonial Secretary,
stated yesterday in the House of
Lords that the British government
is "in favor of India's political free
DOM" That language, of course, is
not definite, nor is the position of
the British government clarified by
Lord Cranbornes further statement
that IF the Indian leaders would get
together and devise some scheme
which would be satisfactory to all,
the Indian problem would be salts
factorily solved"
Yet it would be mistake to as
sumo that this qualification was
intended merely to becloud further
an already vague declaration in favor
Of political freedom for India. 1t is
a fact that the various movements
in India have been unable to agree on
any one program for political inde-
pendence Of the crown. Some two
thirds of the inhabitants of India are
Hindus, represented largely by the
Indian National Congress. About
100,000,000 Indians are Moham-
medans, however, and their ALL
India Moslem League has its own
political program and is bitterly at
odds with the Hindus. Then there is
the additional complication of the
native states, governed by nearly 900
princes under the terms of treaties
with the British government. That
the problem posed for the British by
these internal Indian complications
is real and not imaginary is best
illustrated by the reaction of Mo-
manned Ali Jinnah, president Of the
MoSlem League, to Generalissimo's
Chiang's statement. It is "unfortu-
nate" he said, that Generalissimo
Chang should have INDUCED in gen.
eralities without understanding the
political situation in India. Then
this spokesman for one-fourth of
India's people reiterated the leagues
proposal for partition of India.
Obviously, these internal rivalries
complicate any satisfactory solution
of the Indian problem, though it may
be true, as has been charged, that
they have been exploited from time
to time by Britain to avoid final
showdown with the Indians. Yet it
seems not unreasonable for the Brit
ish government to insist upon a sub
stantial measure of unanimity among
India's leaders as a condition of
greater political freedom. That, it
would seem, is proper responsibility
of India, and If an agreement
should emerge from such party
conferences as that Just concluded
at New Delhi under the leadership of
Sir Tel Bahadur Sapru, the Indians
might soon realize at least their de-
mand for the equivalent of dominion
status.
Certainly the British, sorely beset
around the globe and in dire need of
maintaining their military alliances,
would be in no position to temporize
with a reasonably united India, sup
ported by the Chinese Generalissimo.