The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 6
[ 6 ] split up into two divisions-the Lahore, and the Calcutta Sections. From the Nehru--Report, it does not appear that efforts were made to secure the representation of the Lahore Section nor is it in evidence anywhere that any ' attempt was made to seek the co-operation of the pro- vincial branches of the League, while as a matter of fact the communal problem assumes hideous proportions only in questions relating to the provinces and not to the country as a whole. Therefore, the participation even of both the sections of the League could not have been deemed adequate. The conclusion is obvious. The so called All-Parties Conference could not justify its name, so long as all view-points were not fully represented on it. The Nehru Scheme proposes two Houses of Parlia ment for India, one chamber to consist of representatives elected by the people directly and the other, the Senate, to consist, after that of the United States of America, of members representing the different Provincial Councils. Strange that the committee while upholding the principle of having two such representative bodies for the enact� ment of laws affecting transitory and minor interests, should in the matter of formulating a constitution for the country overlook the need for consulting the representa tives of the Provincial Moslem Leagues so as to give them an opportunity to present their respective view points. The All-Parties Conference could not pretend ignorance of the fact that the majority of several of the Provincial Leagues was at variance with the majority of the Central Body of the League in matters of vital im portance. How c·ould then the inclusion of the representatives of the Central Body alone be reason. . ably regarded as adequate to help to formulate the draft constitution? Take, for example, the case of any of these provinces, the Punjab, the United Province, Bengal, the