द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

THE BAROMETER RISES 173
'without restricting the liberty of action of those political
parties whose goal was complete independence.' The Con-
stitution outlined in the Report was only for British India.
With regard to the Indian States, the Report stated that the
Central Government should exercise the same rights in rela-
tion to, and discharge the same obligation towards, the Indian
States, arising out of the treaties or otherwise, as the present
Government of India had exercised and discharged. A future
federal linking up of the Indian States with the rest of India
was, however, looked forward to, whenever the States were
ready for the surrender of rights which federation necessitated.
The Report recommended autonomy for the provinces and
suggested the creation of Sindh and Karnataka as separate
provinces. The Executive, both in the provinces and at the
centre, was to be responsible to the Legislature. The Central
Legislature was to be composed of a Senate and House of
Representatives—the Senate to be elected by the Provincial
Legislatures. Every adult of either sex was to be entitled to
vote and there would be joint electorates for Hindu, Moslem
and other communities. For a minority community, there
would be reservation of seats for a period of ten years only.
In Bengal and Punjab there would be no reservation of seats at
all. There would be a Supreme Court for India and a radical
restriction of appeals to the Privy Council. The Civil Services
would be under the control of the Central Government. The
Report further enumerated nineteen fundamental rights
which were to be embodied in the Statute. The residuary
powers were to be vested in the Central Government.
The greatest achievement of the Nehru Committee was the
settlement of the question of Hindu-Moslem-Sikh represen-
tation in the Legislatures under the proposed Constitution.
Such an achievement would not have been possible so soon
after the recent inter-communal disturbances, but for the
new situation created by the appointment of the Simon
Commission. The Report provided for a common electorate
for all communities. Minority communities would be entitled
to a reservation of seats in the Legislature in-proportion to
their population and they would, in addition, have the right
to contest the elections for the other seats. The reservation