The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 84
C H A P T E R VII. Demand for a Federal Government. DETAILED STUDY-( Continued). 1 HAVE already stated, the Muslims demand a federal type of Government for India, with fully autonomous provinces ; only such powers being delegated to the Central Government as the Provincial Governments may deem essential for good government. Subjects not mentioned in the constitutional laws, shall be deemed as vested in the provinces, which, in cases of exigencies. may, under special regulations, transfer any subject to the Central Body. The Central Government shall have no power to interfere with the internal affairs of the pro vinces. So far as I can see, the lvluslims in a body sup port this demand. At any rate, both the sections of the League do. The Nehru Committee has, however, turned down the proposal altogether, and, instead of a federal Government, proposed a unitary type of Government. In other words, under the proposed constitution, the central parliament is the supreme governing body which transfers certain powers to provinces. Under the first system, the one sponsored by the Muslim League, the Central Government cannot interfere with the internal affairs of the Provincial Governments, nor can it deprive them of any privilege, nor is it, in the event of any new work arising, entitled to undertake the same ; the Provincial Governments alone having the right to undertake it, or to transfer it to the Central Govern ment, according to the rules framed for the purpose, by the majority in the Provincial Council. On the other hand, according to the system sponsored by the Nehru