The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 71
71 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN delighted with it. " I said, "Well, then I had hoped that when the time came for you to select a successor to Sir Fazle, you would also consider me. " At this his face cleared up and he said, "You are a naughty man. Of course I mean you. " I said, "Sir, I do not see that the definition fits me. You said you want to get the very best man you can find, and I do not consider that I am the very best man. " He said, "Oh, now, come off it. Will it be all right with you?" I said, "Not only would it be all right with me, but I am extremely grateful. " I did not let on that the Secretary of State had already mentioned it to me; I wanted him to have the pleasure of thinking that he had made the offer to me himself. This was his very kind and gracious way of doing it. When I met the Secretary of State again in early October, he said to me, "Zafrulla, you were perfectly right in one thing, and that is that there has been an awful hullabaloo in India, not over your appointment, because they do not know it yet, but over the prospect of your appointment. I have received numberless telegrams and letters of protest, and I told Croft to put them in the wastepaper basket, so do not worry about that. But the Viceroy is anxious that we should put these people out of their agony by making the official announcement, and I am afraid I must request you to agree to an early announcement being made. I regret I am unable to comply with your wish that we should hold it up until next year. " I agreed and he rang for Croft and told him to send a telegram to the Viceroy that he had mentioned the matter to me and that the announcement might be made on Wednesday of the following week. Then he mentioned another matter to me. He said, "There is another matter which both the Viceroy and I wish you to consider. You know that Sir Fazle Hussain holds the portfolio of Education, Health and Lands and several miscellaneous subjects and whoever succeeds him will take over his portfolio. You have done that before and I know it will be easy for you. But both the Viceroy and I think that you ought to take over the portfolio of Commerce and Railways from Sir Joseph Bhore which we consider a much more important one. " I said, "Sir, this is very kind of you. I would personally prefer Education, Health, Lands because it is an area in which I am more familiar with the ropes. " He smiled and said, "You are a young man. You should not be afraid of hard work. True, this other portfolio involves a good many problems: there is the Trade Agreement with Britain and there is the trade agreement with Japan and on the railway side there are many problems. " The railways, incidentally, were the biggest financial asset of the