The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 128
[ J 28 ] by virtue of open election by the electors, then the Gov, ernment would be neither Responsible, nor Representa tive. (iv) In the Punjab and Bengal, the Muslim population is so distributed that the community does not require any Reservation of Seats. It can easily capture seats equal to or even exceeding its nuμierical proportion. (v) I add to these another argument, advanced by a worthy member of the Punjab Legislative Council, that the results of the elections to the district boards, where the Muslims, notwithstanding a minority of voters, cap tured more seats. encourage one to believe that a free contest would be more advantageous to the Mussalmans than separate election. (i) As regards the first objection, I fail to understand how, in case of Reservation of Seats for particular com munities, the election can be held on the basis of reli g:ous differences. For, under such a system it will have already been decided that candidates. belonging to a particular community only, shall be entitled to stand for a particular constituency. In a Muslim constituency it is not po$sible for a Muslim candidate to ask for votef on the mere ground of his being a Mussalman. Such a question may, of course. arise in non-reserved constitu encies, where it is quite possible that a particular seat may be contested by Hindu and Muslim candidates, the former asking for votes on the mere ground of his being a Hindu, and the latter on his being a Muslim. But where the law has already decided, that· a particular con stituency shall be reserved for a particular community, this question cannot arise. The question, that could arise in such a constituency, may be of a sectarian nature such as. whether the candidate is a Shia, or a Sunni ; or reaarding the political view-point of each contestant.