The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 27
[ 27 ] autonomy for Sindh, N. W. F. Provinces, and Baluchistan, is that, because of the existence of a Hindu minority in these Muslim provinces, the Hindu majority in other pro vinces will not be tempted to oppress the Muslim minorities in those provinces. But if all powers were to vest in the Central Government, this safeguard would be rendered absolutely useless. For, with the power to intervene at any time, the Central Government will inter £ ere in the affairs of the Muslim provinces whenever it chooses. If it is contended why it will do so,-well, that is the crux of the whole problem. Because there is lack of mutual trust between the two com munities. If there is no such distrust then all these restrictions are superfluous ; and it could be frankly stated that we should have full faith in our Hindu brethren. They could rule as they like. We could have expected nothing but good of them. With such a frame of mind the whole controversy would have ended at once, but where is that mutual trust? I 1. -SPECIAL REPRESENTATION. The second demand of the Muslim community relates to affording protection for minorities by giving a minority where it is weak, representation in excess of its legitimate share, and where it can hold its own, to give it not more than its legitimate right. The Nehru-Report has however decided that in no case should the minority enjoy any extra rights, neither where the minority is weak, nor where it is strong. The Report says :-. . Representation in excess of their proportion in the population fixed for Moslems in a number of provinces-under the sanctioned pact as well as the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, will disappear under our scheme. '' In other words this united demand of both the Lahore and Calcutta sections of the