Evening star., 1947-12-14
Stability Is Returning
Slowly. in India, but
Problems Are Great
BY Phillips Talbot
Foreign Correspondent Of The sior and
the Chicago Daily News

mo Snfeo9o Doily News
NEW DELHI, India, Dec. 13,-As
the year that has brought indie
pendence, albeit attended by mod
ern history's fastest social and re-
ligious upheavels, nears its end.
leaders Of the young Indian domin-
Ion look toward the future opti-
mistically.
The Indian government is begin
ming to re-establish stability
throughout the country. The wave
OF mass killings in hysteria ridden
Punjab has died down and the con-
migration prevented from spreading
to other provinces. A degree of
governmental authority has been
extended to embrace nearly all the
princely states which once threat
ened to stand out as independent
islands.
I'VE have solved our major dis
putes with Pakistan-except Kash-
mir-and established ourselves as
going state" Deputy Premier Vallab-
Hbhal Patel says in summarizing
the present position of free India.
Troubles Continue.
OF course, problems still abound.
India's leaders agree. Kashmir is
still a potential trouble spot between
India and Pakistan, though now
the death of one person in a city
like Calcutta again makes the head
llnes where former death rolls had
to reach four figures to be news.
Business is dragging ahead in low
gear. Imitation, which has seized
the country, is apparently about to
speed up with decontrol of food,
clothing and other essential items.
Many observers expect that the
political revolution, which won free
dom. will be followed by social
upheaval In which new forces NAV
come to the fore to challenge the
present leadership.
Dynamic Premier Jawaharlal
Nehru is doing his utmost to boil
ster his OF four-month regime. From
the first he has struggled to pre-
serve his secular state with security
for the 100000 Moslems remain
ing IN the Indian dominion.
A man of tremendous nervous
'nergy, who works from 7 am. to-
7ast midnight, Mr.. Nehru's main
objective is to start the country on
he road toward a moderate socialist
state that will play an important
role in Asia and the world.
Mr.. Nehru draws invaluable
strength from Deputy Premier Pa
tel. Principal organizer of the Con-
gress Party but less brilliant than
Mr.. Nehru, Mr.. Patel is the one
man able to deliver political support
for the Nehru cabinets program.
Mr.. Patel and others have been
credited with favoring a stronger
Hindu element in the government
than Mr.. Gandhi and Mr.. Nehru
believe. But so long as Gandhi in
fluence remains, the two cabinet
leaders are expected to pull together.
Reds Claim New Strength.
Far to the left of the main lead
ership are the Indian socialist and
Communist parties. These appear to
be gaining strength through wide
spread public discomfort with post
war economic distress.
P. G. JOSH, Communist Party
secretary, now claims 100000 mem
bers in India and Pakistan, COM
pared to- 10000 eight months ago.
Socialists under Jaya Prakash. Ma
rayan, young American-university-I
trained marxist, are advancing more
slowly. ...
Main .problems of millions Of In
dian peasants and workers remain
today what they always have been
enough food, enough cloth and a
little extra to rear their children,
marry off their daughters and bury
their dead.