The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 9
[ 9 ] that the assembly was no regular association, but he as sured the members that though personally he was in favour of joint representation, he was now fully aware that his community viewed the matter quite differently, and that when the time to arrive at a settlement with the Hindus comes, he would not omit to present to them the majority view. The scene was not without its moral. This conference, which was composed of people re presenting all shades of thought, sat to deliberate upon the Delhi proposals which were, by far the least objec tionable, and the nearest as a compromise, to the general Muslim opinion, as compared to the Madras Congres� re solutions or the Nehru-Report, both of which came into being much later ; and yet a powerful majority of the representatives of different Muslim bodies would have nothing to do with them. Nay, even from among the authors of the proposals persons like Sir l\1uhammad Shafi turned to discountenance them. It may now be pertinently asked that when it had become evident that a clear majority of the Muslim community disfavoured the sys�em of joint representation, why the All-Parties Conference chose to shut them out of its deliberations? If it failed to invite them, its pretensions to represent all shades of opinion held no ground. And if it invited them and its invitation evoked no response, then it was evident that the major sections of an important Indian community had no confidence in the conference and would not care even to attend its sitting. No sane person would, under the circumstances, consider this All-Parties Con ference to be the representative of All-India. But from the facts, quoted above from the Nehru Report, it would appear that the All-Parties Con ference did not properly represent even that section of the Muslim opinion which found utterance in the Calcutta