The Viceroy and Congress The Viceroy of India's broadcast address
to the people of India, with its cordial reference to Mr. Gandhi, is calculated on the face of it to improve considerably the atmosphere in which decisions regarding the acceptance of office by Congress will be taken. It is quite true that Lord Linlithgow went no further than individual Governors like Lord Bra- bourne have already gone, for the good reason that no categorical guarantee regarding the conditions in which a Governor might use his special powers in unforeseen con- tingencies can be framed. But the Viceroy did repeat expressly the assurance on which Mr. Gandhi (who quoted Sir Samuel Hoare as having given it) set such store, that a Governor would never dream of interfering in the day-to- day administration of a province, and that his supreme desire would be to maintain unclouded co-operation with his Ministers. The statement made by the Prime Minister in the 'House of Commons last week, that questions could not be put in Parliament on the details of Indian provincial administration, since the Governors, who are ultimately answerable to Parliament, are not responsible for that, further emphasises the right of Indian Ministers to govern as they will, subject to- the few -reservations- embodied in the Government of India Act. The Governors, on the other hand, do remain answerable to Parliament for the way in which they exercise their special powers, if the need for that ever arises. That, no doubt, explains the stress laid in some Congress circles on the dismissal of Ministers, rather than their resignation, in the event of a deadlock, for the former would require action by the Governor which could be discussed in Parliament.
* * * *
Previous page
