Evening star., 1942-04-11
Major Parties
Reject Grips
Plan for India
Proposal Withdrawn
And Negotiation Will
Return to London
(Tert OF Cripps Statement on
Page All
By thp Associated Press.

NEW DELHI, India. April IL
Dominant Hindu and Moslem
parties today rejected Britain's
offer of dominion status after
the war and Sir Stafford Cripps.
special emisSary of the British
war cabinet, announced that the
proposal he brought to India had
been withdrawn.
The historic mission of Sir Staf-
ford failed when the All-In6ia Con-
gress Party, potent voice of the
Hindu majority, and the Moslem
League, strongest spokesman for the
77,OOO 900 minority Moslems, de-
clared London's terms unacceptable.
With the japanese threat to India
increasing daily, the British offer
envisioned postwar dominion status
and greater autonomy for India in
return for full and immediate sup
port of the British war effort.
AT a press conference. the British
emissary said that although Britain
and India had failed in their nego-
tiationS there was a large and very
important area of agreement as to
the future freedom of India"
Reverts to Former Status.
In announcing that the plan
which he had brought to India was
withdrawn. Sir Stafford said that
the status of India reverted to what
it was before he came here.
Uniformed quarters in London
said the breakdown of the nego-
tiations meant that the existing
British government in India
would continue to administer the
country and its war effort.
They pointed out that the
plan Sir Stafford took to India
was an emergency measure
brought on by the critical state
of the war in the East. Long be-
fore this trip. in 1910. the British
declared they would welcome
monwealth of nations as IAN
equal partner" That promise
never has been withdrawn
Perhaps intimating that another
chapter in the negotiations might
be written at later date. Sir Staf-
ford said without elaboration:
"I may come back to India. In
what capacity that will be the Lord
only knows
Makes Farewell Broadcast.
In farewell broadcast to the peo-
pie of India tonight. Sir Stafford
said: Il am sad that this great op-
portunity for rallying India for her
defense and her freedom has been
missed
In the past" he said, British
governments have been accused of
using vague terms to cloak lack of
purpose; and when they stated that
it must be left to the Indian COM
munities to agree among themselves
it has been said that this was the
only device by which Great Britain
might indefinitely retain its control
over India.
But the Congress since the out
break of the war has repeatedly de-
manded two essentials as basis for
its support of the allied effort in the
war-first. a declaration of Indian
independence and second. a constit-
uent assembly to frame a new and
free constitution for India.
Both of these demands find their
place in the draft declaration. 1t
was IN the light of the demands and
the criticism of Indian leaders that
the war cabinet drafted their dec
laration with the object of convinc--
ing the Indian peoples and world
public opinion of the sincerity of
their desire to offer freedom to India
at the earliest practicable moment.
Concise Plan Offered.
To avoid complaints that had
been made in the past, they put out
clear and precise plan which
should avoid all possibility of Indian
government being held up by
the views of some large section or
community. But they left it open
for the Indian leaders to agree upon
an alternative method if they
wished"
Sir Stafford is to leave New Delhi
tomorrow for his return journey to
Britain.
In statement earlier he pointed
out that India is gravely threatened.
Discussions are over" he said.
80 but the present and the fu-
ture press upon us and must be
faced"
Negotiations Lasted Month.
He called on all who loved India
to bring their energies to her imme-
diate help.
Great Britain will do her ut
most" he said
America is doing all she can and
now India must devote herself
wholeheartedly with special effort
in every field of activity in defending
her soil and protecting her women
and children from those ghastly
horrors that have befallen her Chi
nese friends and neighbors."
In that connection, Maulana Abul
Kalan Azad, president of the Con-
gress party, in letter to Sir STAFF
(See INDIA, Page A-3D