The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 42
42 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN Launcelot?" He replied, "Why, you are walking and your rickshaw is not following you. " I enquired, "What do you think God has provided me with a pair of legs for?" He passed on with a smile. In regard to the discharge of my duties, looking back now over more than 30 years of public life, I may say that I wielded a firmer pen during those four months than I did later at any time. It may have been due to an inner determination that I would always make my view clear and would set it forth as cogently and strongly as the occasion demanded. My portfolio included a bewildering variety of subjects, the principal ones being Education, Health, Lands, Archaeology, Indians overseas (for instance, Indians in South Africa); and various Surveys of India. As a matter of fact, all miscellaneous subjects were shoved into what was called E. H. L. I was told that at one time the Department used to be called H. E. L. , which occasionally raised a laugh at the expense of the Minister, so the nomenclature was re-arranged and the Department was described as Education, Health and Lands, making the abbreviation E. H. L. instead of H. E. L. The most interesting part of my work during those four months was that the major dispatches of the Government of India on the proposed constitutional reforms which were then under the consideration of His Majesty's Government in London went through the Council during my four months' tenure of office. The recom-mendations of the Government of India on the communal award had already been made, but they had not yet been approved by His Majesty's Government. Within a few days of my taking over charge, the comments of the Secretary of State for India on the communal award were received, and were circulated to the Members. When I saw what they were, I was very disturbed and felt that my tenure of office was not likely to last for four months and might come to an end within a week or so. I was determined that if the changes that the Secretary of State had proposed were insisted upon by his Majesty's Government and were adhered to, I would not continue in the Council, and would resign. Sir Fazle Hussain had been a Member of Council when the original proposals had gone through, and now they were to be modified much to the prejudice of the Muslims. I was not prepared to assume responsibility for the suggested modifications as Member of Council. I asked for an interview with the Viceroy and told him that I was not prepared to accept the modifications proposed by the Secretary of State,