The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 151
[ 151 ] Besides, they are not faced with the same danger as the Muslims. In national questions they, as a rule, join the Hindus. The Sikhs are more or less in the same pos1 tion. As for the Christian, they form only 1 % of the gross population, and most of them being converted from Hinduism, they have no past of their own with which they might justly feel associated ; and accordingly, as they have nothing to lose, they have nothing to fear. Besides, the Muslims do not propose to add to their own position at the expense of the Christian population. They contend that the majority community has such a margin of excess that it can afford to accommodate the Mussalmans without undermining its own majority posi tion. Clearly, therefore, when the question of depriving any of the minority communities of its legitimate rights does not arise, the minorities have little to lose from the Muslim demand. (3) ALLOTMENT OF SEATS NOT DIFFICULT. The third argument advanced by the Nehru Com mittee is that in the event of reserving seats for the Muslims, difficulty will be experienced in the matter of allotment of seats, and as a consequence, their right of representation shall have to be reserved both in the Punjab, and Bengal. This is hardly an argument, for the simple reason that it is exactly what the Muslims demand. I have already made it clear that it is only fair and just to grant reservation of seats to the Muslims both in the Punjab and Bengal. It is simply unreason- able to base an objection on what is already a point at issue. But even if it ,vere supposed that seats for the Muslims could not be reserved in the Punjab and Bengal, the objection hardly carries any weight. For, at the time of election to the Parliament the country would be viewed