The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 52
[ 52 ] a lly o bliterate d. Does either of the two alternatives app e a l to the Muslims? If not, then I discharge rnY. duty by wa r ning them to- d ay that now is their. opportunity _ to s e cure thei r rig hts. A mistake now made 1s sure to bnng ir r eparable disaster. They must not be hasty,. an� must n ot r j s k thei r p resent freedom in the hope o f winning fuH i n d e p end e nce. The y must not help to re peat the scenes e n ac t ed in S p ain ; for , one Spain is enoug h to make us m i s e r a bl e. I do n o t m e an to sa y tha t you mus t not make efforts for t h e fre e do m of India. Now when Grea , Britain he r s e lf h as d e cided tha t India i s entitled to re presentative G o v e rn m en t , I full y a. ssociate m yself with m y countr y m e n i n every leg itimate effor t made fo r its attainment. B u t wh a t weig h s heavy u pon m y mind and saddens m y h e ar t is the thou g h t , tha t the Muslim s should agree t o cons tit u ti o n a l reform s withou t safeguarding thei r own i n t eres t s. The conse quence s of such action are bound t o b e m os t bitter and disasterous. Th e Muslim ought no t t o a gr e e t o an y settlemen t unt il th e proposals o f b o t h th e se ction s of the Lea gu e hav e been acc-�pted, o th e r w is e i t w ill result i n s o serious a situation that th e v e r y th o u gh t of it makes one shudde r. This also shoul d b e b orne in mind that i f the a. hove-mentioned proposals o f th e o p p o n e nt s of the Nehru-Report , -whethe r Leaguer s , Khilaf a tis ts or other s, are made a basis of any agreement , th e n th e Mu � salman s will have littl e t o fea r regardin g f u tu re alte r atio n of the present decisions. In th a t cas e the i r ri g ht s will be ade quat e l y protected. Thereafte r i f th e s a fe g u a rd s are found su p erfluou s , i t will n o t b e diffi c u l t t o amend the Ia\iv s , because i t will be the Hindus , an d no t the Muslim s, who w i ll benefit b y suc h ainen d m e n t, a n d th e Hindus w i ll no t therefor e oppos e suc h c h an g e.