The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 108
[ 108 ] 21, and 20�� respectively of the population but they occupy 20, 12, 30, and about 33 % of the seats respectiv�ly in the Councils. The community will have in future their n1embership reduced to the population ratios. In short, according to the recommendations of the Nehru Com. . mittec Muslim representation in the different provinces shall be reduced by one. . half to one-third of its existing number ; and in exchange of this loss, the Muslims in these provinces and in the Punjab and Bengal will be given the right to contest for additional seats in the respective Councils. The above apportionment reminds me of the story of that prudent Raja who, as the legend goes, was pleased to make a gift to his priest of a cow that had been lost a year before. The Raja's son who excelled his father in caution, suggested that the priest should be given the CO\V that had died two years before instead of the one lost a year ago. The Lucknow Pact had aimed at throttling the very life out of the Muslim nction, the Nehru-Report was pro ceeded to skin the poor community altogether. I fail to understand i. he reason why the Muslim sup porters of this Report have taken up that attitude, when they can easily see that they have been deprived of something real ; and what they have been promised in return, is a mere shado\v. In the eight Hindu provinces. Muslim representation has been reduced by nearly one half; that is, of the aggregate 24% of Muslim representa tion in all the Hindu provinces, their share has been re duced to 14 % only. It has been argued in this connec tion that the right given to the l\lluslims to contest seats other than those reserved for them has opened a new avenue of progress for them where they can successfully beat their Hindu rivals The �rgument is the outcome