The Moslems' Decision
The decision of the Moslem League to join the interim Govern. ment in India will be received with satisfaction, but it must for the moment be a qualified satisfaction. This is not the national coali- tion Cabinet, consisting of individual members of different parties rising above their party divisions in the interests of the nation, but rather the introduction of a communal bloc, whose presence will inevitably have the effect of emphasising also the communal _aspect of the Hindu membership of the Cabinet. It is on the whole regret- table that thg Moslem leader, Mr. Jinnah, has decided, unlike the Congress leader, Pandit Nehru, to remain outside the Cabinet and reserve himself for political organisation in the country, and the unexpected action of the Moslem League in including in its list the name of Mr. Mondal, who is not a Moslem at all, but a leader of the Depressed Classes, is bound to cause considerable annoyance in Congress circles, Hindu representation in the Cabinet being regarded as a matter for Congress alone. Nevertheless, the fact remains that India now has a Government in which the two great communities are adequately represented, and it must be hoped that the mere fact of facing of political problems together will generate a spirit of co-operation that will extend gradually from the Cabinet room to the country. Whatever strains such co-operation involves will be short- lived, for this, 'after all, is only an interim Administration and pre- parations for the meeting of the Constituent Assembly which will give India a permanent constitution are well advanced. Meanwhile, whatever the anxieties it inspires, the step now taken is definitely a step forward.
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