Evening star., 1942-03-22
Impending Arrival
0fCripps 5harpens
India Differences
4 Main Political Factions
Look With Expectancy
! To Enjoys Visit
~ the Associated Press.

! To Enjoys Visit
~ the Associated Press.
BOMBAY, March 21.-Four main
political factions Of controversy
ridden India sharpened their diff
ferences today in tense expectation
OF the arrival of Sir Stafford Cripps,
Britain's special envoy, and his plan
for the country's future.
A clue to the political atmosphere
was the widely circulated jingle OF
q local verSe-maker:
IF I were Stafford Cripps
I'D tell myself there's much
I'm adageS concerning slips
And cups and lips and such"
For the last 10 days, Grips mis-
sion, at the special request Of Prime
Minister Churchill, has been the
principal subject of discussion IN
political circles. This has now
finally emerged into a clear sharp
ening of differences between four
main groups with which Cripps will
have to negotiate. They are:
/. The Indian National Congress
Party, under the presidency OF
'Maulana Abdul Kalan Azad. which
claims to be India's only truly ma
tional political organization free
from religious discrimination. It's
declared objective is a united SELL
governing India led by men who are
not Hindus or Moslems but Indians,
6rst and last.
: Disputes Congress Claim.
2. The All-India Moslem League,
under Mohammed Ali Jinnah. This
party pours scorn on the claim OF
the Congress to be non-sectarian.
: Jinnah points to the predominant
Hindu membership of the Congress
and saws it is determined to estab-
lish Hindo domination to the detrl-
fnent Of the Moslems. politically, eco
,nomically and socially. His solution,
therefore, is the "pakistan" state,
partition of India into separate au-
,tonomous Hindu and Moslem terri
tories
y 3. The Hindu "Mahasabha," pre-
aided over by Vinayak Damodar Sa-
Sarkar, comprising the militant
Hindu extremists at variance with
The Congress and Moslem League
alike. 1t accuses the Congress OF
being too lenient toward the Mos
lens who. Savarkar says. are only
one-fourth of the total population
and must not be allowed to have
an influence disproportionate with
their numbers.
- Savarkar accused the MoSlem
League of aiming at Moslem tyranny
In the northern provinces where they
are in the majority This tyranny.
he saws, will one day form a close
alliance with Moslem powers OF the
Middle East and carry out another
.Moslem conquest of the Hindus.
Indian Princess Fearful.
1. The last group Is the 900 In
dian princes. ranging from the all
powerful Nizam Of Hyderabad with
Immense wealth and territory as
large as Italy to small landowners
with only a few thousand subjects.
The princes fear that il the British
Indian connection is broken, they
will ultimately be swept away.
Present indications are that the
Moslem League and the Hindu
"Mahasabha" will be the major
stumbling blocks in Grips efforts
to reconcile the various elements.
Jinnah has said again that he
will consider no solution which does
not recognize the validity Of his
Pakistan scheme. Savarkar will not
accept a constitution which gives
advantage to the Moslems.
The Congress and the princes
have. meanwhile, adopted a more
helpful attitude The latter. meet
ing as the chamber of princes at
New Delhi welcomed the British
governments desire to give India
tthe fullest freedom and high
status" provided their own rights
were protected.
) Congress Gratified.
) The Congress is gratifled because
The British government sent Cripps
1or a friendly round-table discus
sion. For years the Congress lead
ers have complained that the British
always presented India with fait
accompli Now, they say, the British
government, thanks to Mr. Churchill
has shown a change of heart and
is prepared to treat with India as
partners.
Most of the Congress members.
under the inspiration of Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru. would welcome
the chance of joining in whole
hearted war against the Axis ''on
honorable terms" Therefore, they'll
probably be willing to meet Grips
halfway. since they are impatient
to give the fullest support to China
and Russia. But they must be able
to do so without losing face and
without renouncing their pledge not
to join in a war for freedom while
they themselves are still slaves" >"
Cripps, for his part, must find
the middle way for rival elements
whose differences are of the bitter
est kind because their origin is re-
ligious. Moderate Indians say to-
day that if Cripps fails, India will
have only herself 70 blame.