In Retirement continues...

An acknowledgement of this letter was received but I do not

think that any action was taken on it.

I also sent a copy of this letter to the President who wrote to me

in reply:

“I have read with great interest your letter regarding changes in the Constitution which you propose. I agree with you in your analysis of our history

and I know that there are separatist tendencies prevailing even now. It is a

fact that it is only since 1950 that the whole of India, as it is today, is being

ruled under one Constitution and one Supreme Head of the Nation with one

Parliament, one Prime Minister and one Cabinet for a number of matters

connected with the administration of the country and it is not only desirable

but also necessary that this position is safeguarded. It is also true that

the British Government passed the Act of 1935 providing for a Federal

Constitution in it more with a view to keeping in check what then were

known as provinces which were under the Congress influence with the help

of Indian States, minorities etc. But the idea of autonomy of the Provinces

was very strong and it was really the Chief Ministers of the Provinces who

belonged to the Congress who insisted upon the provisions relating thereto.

The States came in at the end and practically no objection was raised on their behalf and the status given to the Provinces was more or less given to them

and they were satisfied. It was not as if the States insisted upon autonomy and

the Provinces were brought in line with them. It was just the other way

about. So you can understand the difficulty that will be faced in introducing

the change which you suggest. Some of us were even then anxious to have

some unifying power and some of the provisions giving power to the Centre

were the result but we could not do more to get the Provinces under the

influence of the Centre.

To be continued...