New Delhi,
10/11th June 1947
DEAR FRIEND,
The Rajkumari has given me the purport of your conversation with her.
Though you have been good enough to tell me that J could see you at
any time I wanted to, I must not avail myself of the kindness. I would
like, however, to reduce to writing some of the things I hold to be
necessary for the proper and swift working of the scheme.
- As to the referendum in the Frontier Province I must confess
that my idea does not commend itself to Pandit Nehru and his colleagues.
As I told you, if my proposal did not commend itself to them,
I would not have the heart to go any further with it.
- This, however, does not in any way affect my proposal that
before proceeding with the referendum, you should invite Quaid-i-Azam
Jinnah to proceed to the Frontier Province and to woo the Ministers
including Badshah Khan and his Khudai Khidmatgars who have made
the Province what it is—better or worse. Before he goes,
no doubt, he should be assured of a courteous hearing from them.
- Whether he favours the idea or not Quaid-i-Azam should be asked
to give a fair picture of the Pakistan scheme before the simple
Pathan mind is asked to make its choice of Hindustan or Pakistan.
I fancy that the Pathan knows his position in Hindustan. If he
does not, the Congress or the Constituent Assembly now at work
should be called upon to complete the picture. It will be unfair,
I apprehend, to choose between Hindustan or Pakistan without knowing
what each is. He should at least know where his entity will be
fully protected.
- There is as yet no peace in the Frontier Province. Can there
be a true referendum when strife has not completely abated ? Minds
are too heated to think coherently. Neither the Congress nor the
League can disown liability for disturbances by their followers.
If peace does not reign in the land, the whole superstructure
will come to pieces and you will, in spite of division, leave
behind legacy of which you will not be proud.
- The sooner you have homogeneous ministry the better. In no case
can the League nominees work independently of the whole Cabinet.
It is a vicious thing that there is no joint responsibility for
every act of individual members.
- The only way to keep the wonderful time table made by you is
to anticipate the future and ask your special staff to work out
all the items presented by you without reference to the Cabinet
and then when the time comes, the report should be presented to
the respective parties for acceptance, amendment or rejection.
- The more I see things the more firmly I believe that the States
problem presents a variety of difficulties which demand very serious
and fearless treatment on your part.
- The problem of the civil and military services, though in a
way not equally difficult, demands the same firm handling as the
States. Gurgaon strife is an instance in point. So far as I know
one single officer is responsible for the continuance of the mischief.
- Lastly may I suggest that the attempt to please all parties
is a fruitless and thankless task. In the course of our conversation
I suggested that equal praise bestowed on both the parties was
not meant. No praise would have been the right thing. "Duty
will be merit when debt becomes a donation." It is not too
late to mend. Your undoubted skill as a warrior was never more
in demand than today. Fancy a sailor without his fleet, save his
mother wit!
- I have tried to be as succinct as possible. I could not be
briefer. If any of the points raised herein demand a personal
talk, you have but to appoint the suitable time. Please do not
think of calling me for the sake of courtesy.
- I received your kind note of 10th instant whilst I had almost
finished this note. It does not call for a separate reply.
This was finished at 9.25 p.m. It will be typed tomorrow
Yours sincerely,
M.K. GANDHI
To
H.E. THE VICEROY, SIMLA
Mahatma Gandhi-Correspondence with the Government - 1944-'47, pp. 256-58
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