LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
THE INDIAN STATES
Sin,—My old friend Sir William Barton in his article on the position of the Indian States in new India assumes that Congress is hostile to the States. This is incorrect. Obviously he is not in touch 'with the latest developments. In March of this year, the two Negotiating Committees set up under the British Cabinet Mission's plan conferred with each other and arrived at agreed decisions satisfactory both to the Congress Govern- ment and. the Princes. Congress accepted the internal autonomy of the States and the abolition of paramountcy. As a result of the agreement, several States entered the Indian Constituent Assembly at its April-May sessionAtnd the majority of them are joining at the current session. I expect that by August all will have joined except Hyderabad, Travancore and Bhopal, which have lofty aspirations of their own.
Sir William makes a special plea in favour of the States of Kathiawar, Baroda, Rajputana and the Sikh and Gujarat States entering the Pakistan Assembly in case they fail to reach an agreement with Congress. His solicitude on behalf of these States is understandable, but is wholly super- fluous as the States in question have come to an agreement with Congress. As a matter of fact, geography is wholly against many of these States joining the Pakistan area either of the West Punjab or of East Bengal. I agree with Sir William Barton that the unqualified abolition of para- mountcy is neither in the interests of the Princes nor their subjects. For the reasons pointed out by him there must be a Central Government to protect both parties, and the dying Political Department must be replaced by another exercising more or less similar functions. He will be glad to hear that the Congress Government has recognised this, and has decided to set up a States Department to discharge these functions.
Personally I agree that in India's own interests, Dominion independence is preferable to independence outside the British Commonwealth, for the former status will give India all the benefits of the latter plus the pro-' section of the British Navy. But it is hardly tactful to base the preference on the ground that Pakistan is likely to stay within the Commonwealth and therefore it would be wise for Congress to follow suit. As for Sir William Barton's suggestion that individual States might be recognised as independent Dominions, I can hardly believe that it is made seriously. Would Canada allow Quebec to set up as a separate Dominion seceding from the rest of-the Dominion of Canada or Australia allow Tasmania to secede from the Commonwealth of Australia and start its career afresh as an independent member of the British Commonwealth?—Yours faith-
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