In Retirement continues....

“It was to this aspect of the Indian problem that Mr. M. C. Mahajan, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, drew pointed attention when on Friday last he addressed the convocation of the D.A.V. College, Jullundur.

It was an outspoken and challenging address and it called for very wide publicity both because of its quality and the standing of the learned speaker.

In Mr. Mahajan’s view the country was suffering from ‘two fatal diseases’ corruption and provincialism. Here are two distinct problems: the former is one of morals and the latter is one of attitudes. Mr. Mahajan decried ‘the cry of linguistic states’: there are others like him who hold that ‘distribution of states on a linguistic basis would prove dangerous to national growth.’

“Perhaps it is wrong to assume that linguistic states are necessarily detrimental to the growth of national solidarity ana that states formed or created on any other basis are, on the other hand, helpful to it. What Mr. Mahajan means by the spirit of provincialism which should doubtless be condemned and cursed is not the same thing as the urge for linguistic states. If Mr. Mahajan’s argument is pushed to its logical conclusion, there may well be demand for banning the use of all regional languages so that the national language may flourish.

As for the administrative remedy he suggests for combating ‘provincialism’, name inter-state postings and transfers of

officials, there is no reason why the prescription should not be straightway

accepted. It may prove to be an effective measure to discourage the evil.

To be continued...