The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 25
[ 2s l League under the leadership of Mr. Jinnah is also for a federal type of Indian Government. But the Nehru Report instead of a federal type of Government, pro poses a unitarian type of Government of a centralised pattern, which will be considered as the real ruler of the country-the rights of the Provincial Government being derivative. There is no doubt that the -astute compilers of the Report could not frankly deal with this question for fear of provoking Muslim opposition, which it would be difficult to suppress. !\!either could they ignore this grave issue without being accused either of ignorance of politics, or of having not prepared the report with due care. Therefore, they very cleverly inserted the follow ing words in the beginning of the seventh chapter of the Report where they have formulated their recommenda tions :- 64 We have made no attempt to draft the consti tution as a whole. '' No sensible person, however, can plead that the compilers of a constitution could with in1punity ignore the question what was to be the future form of Govern ment of the country. The Nehru Committee has done so. But as such, an important question cannot be detached from the constitutional issue. So what has been con. . . cealed by omitting a de. finite ennunciation. the details have made it only too clear. Different passages of the Report show that the committee has proposed an all powerful central Government of a unitarian model. . Article 34 under the heading, '' The Provincial Legisla ture '' in the chapter on u Recommendations " reads: ,' The legislative authority of every provincial council extends to all matters coming within the class of subjects hereinafter enumerated and specified in Schedule II, attached hereto. '' Similarly in the �ame chapter and under the heading. . Parliament shall have power to make laws for the peace,