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

306 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE
Government issued a white-washing report, which, however,
admitted the use of physical force on the occasion and pro-
mised a modification of the rules applying to civil-disobedience
prisoners.
Following the publication of the White Paper in March
1933, early in April, the British Parliament appointed a Joint
Select Committee consisting of sixteen members from each
House. There were debates in both Houses on the occasion.
In the House of Commons, the Opposition was led by Mr.
Winston Churchill and Sir Henry Page-Croft and in the
Lords by Lord Lloyd and Lord Halsbury. The Committee
on April 12th, elected Lord Linlithgow as Chairman and
approved of a list of 'assessors' from India who would sit
with them, but would not be entitled to vote on any issue
nor submit any report to Parliament. The sittings of the
Joint Select Committee, with the collaboration of the Indian
assessors, commenced on May 10th, and continued for an
unusually long period. The Secretary of State for India took
the unusual step of appearing as a witness with a view to
acquainting the Committee and the Indian assessors with the
intentions of Government. His examination lasted several
weeks and he answered about 16,000 questions. In view of the
agitation against constitutional advance in India carried on
by the diehards in England led by Mr. Winston Churchill
since 1929, and especially since the publication of the White
Paper, in March 1933, it is likely that the Joint Parliamentary
Committee will further whittle down the provisions of the
White Paper.¹ The report of the Committee is expected to
be out in November 1934.
During the year 1933, the country suffered a serious loss
through the death of two of her worthiest sons. Mr. J. M.
Sengupta, who had been the Mayor of Calcutta for five
years and had been a member of the Congress Working
Committee since 1925, suddenly died of apoplexy on July
26th, while he was in internment in Ranchi under Regulation
III of 1818. On October 22nd, Mr. Vithalbhai J. Patel,
¹ Since the above was written, the Report of the Joint Parliamentary
Committee has been published and the apprehensions of the writer have
proved to be true.