An Experiment in Dyarchy and it's Failure continues .....

During my stay in the State, I attended three conferences of the eighteen leading princes held at the instance of the Maharaja at the Bikaner House in New Delhi. Fourteen princes were present in person at some of these conferences while the rest were represented by their Prime Ministers. The Nizam took no interest in them. Mr. V. T. Krishnamachari who was Prime Minister of Jaipur and Mr. Panikkar who was Prime Minister of Bikaner took leading parts in these meetings.

Under the advice of Lord Mountbatten rules for safeguarding succession in the States were discussed. It was also discussed as to what steps were to be taken to safeguard princely privileges, salutes etc. Considerable time was spent in these discussions. At the first conference, I sought permission to express my views.

The Maharaja of Bikaner welcomed my intervention. In a short speech I said that the matters they were discussing were. of very minor importance and the real question was of the existence of States in the future constitution of India. I told them that though in the draft constitution these eighteen states had been treated as Federal Units, they may not remain so unless and until their constitution was democratized and the princes became constitutional rulers. My suggestion was that they should accede to India in a large number of subjects, and frame a common constitution for all the states on a uniform pattern and negotiate with India on a united front. The princes, though they appreciated my suggestions, found it impossible to act upon it. The
Nawab of Bhopal did not take any part in the conference. A scheme was eventually prepared with the approval of Lord Mountbatten and submitted to the Government of India for safeguarding succession to the States and for preserving the privileges enjoyed by the, rulers. The rulers of small States led by the Jam Sahib opposed
these conferences as their states were to be merged with India.

To be continued......