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

THE WHITE PAPER 311
2. Both Houses of the British Parliament have presented
an address to His Majesty praying that such a Pro-
clamation may be issued. It is further provided that
before the first Federal Ministry comes into being,
a Federal Reserve Bank,¹ free from political influence,
will have been set up by Indian legislation and be
already successfully operating.
The White Paper also states, that ‘it is probable that it
will be found convenient or even necessary that the new
Provincial Government should be brought into being in
advance of the changes in the Central Government and the
entry of the States.’ It is therefore clear that the inaugura-
tion of the Federation may be indefinitely postponed even
after the new Constitution Act is passed by the British
Parliament.
The idea of bringing in the Princes into the constitutional
machinery is to provide a Conservative element in the Federal
Legislature which will counteract the radical forces in British
India. With this object in view, while the representatives
from British India in the Federal Legislature will be returned
through a director (or indirect) election² with the help of a
popular franchise, however restricted, the representatives from
the States will be nominated by the Indian Rulers. The
subjects of the Indian States comprising about one-fourth of
the total population of India³ will have no representation what-
soever in the Federal Parliament. The support of the Indian
Rulers (or their nominees) to the British Government in the
working of the Federal Constitution will be secured because
the British Government in its turn undertakes not to interfere
in the internal autocratic administration of the Indian States.
Thus, if the Federation is ultimately set up according to the
White Paper proposal, the Princes will retain their sovereignty
¹ The Reserve Bank Bill has been already passed by the Indian Legis-
lative Assembly.
² The White Paper recommended direct election in the case of the
Federal Assembly (Lower House) and indirect election in the case of the
Council of State (Upper House). The Joint Parliamentary Committee,
however, have recommended indirect election in both cases.
³ In the 1931 Census, the total population of India including Burma
is about 352 millions. British India excluding Burma has a population
of about 257 millions. The total population of the Indian states is about
81 millions.