THE INDIAN SCENE
(March
15 –July 7, 1952)
D. GURUMURTHI, M.A.
Ph.D.
The
quarter under review has been dominated by the formation of the Executive
Governments in the States and the Centre. While the States with secure
majorities of a single party, have taken the task somewhat leisurely, the
States like Pepsu, Madras and Travancore-Cochin have had exciting times. The
formation of the so-called United Fronts to prevent the Congress party from
forming the Government, wherever it had no majority, has been a noteworthy
feature. The practical-minded Kerala politicians solved the situation simply by
the Congress party which was in a forty per cent minority, winning over the
Travancore Tamil Congress and a few independents, and were able to establish a
stable, Government. In Pepsu a different picture emerged. The Congress party in
a minority was hastily allowed to form the Government depending on the support
of uncertainty elements who promptly crossed the floor, and on the day of the
Rajapramukh’s address, a walk out by thirty-two out of the Sixty members showed
the precarious situation. The Cabinet which took office on 19th March, was kept
alive till 20th April when the Chief Minister resigned and a new Chief was
sworn in. In Madras elaborate preparations had been made, to forestall a
Congress Ministry being formed, by the astute rebel leader of the K. M. P.
party at Madras who by a marriage of convenience with the Communist party and a
number of other small groups had got ready to make a bid for leadership of the
Government. The Governor following constitutional procedure, in the absence of
any single party having a majority, called on the leader of the largest single
group to form a council of ministers. This was the signal for a series of
actions, which did not enhance the fitness for constitutional
methods of the frustrated opposition. Interrupting the Governor just as he was
about to address the joint Houses of the Madras Legislature, making a statement
and staging a walk out by a good proportion of the members, an unusual scene
was created. In spite of a motion of disapproval which was moved by the Leader
and withdrawn after discussion, out of certain consideration for seniority, the
practice of walk out has persisted Walk out has also been practised in Pepsu, Bengal,
Hyderabad and other State Legislative Assemblies. The General Elections have
introduced into the sober atmosphere of our country’s legislative chambers a
new element, clamant, confident, assertive, and somewhat reckless. Following
British example it has been the old custom to conduct political discussions of
questions of a controversial nature with decorum and restraint; but everywhere
now we find an extreme sense of self-righteousness and intolerance of opposing
points of view.
The
election of the Vice-President of India showed how when a non-party candidate
of unexcelled fitness is nominated, no contest is needed and the unanimous
choice of Dr. Radhakrishnan has enhanced the prestige of the political parties
in the country, their good sense and their appreciation of the sterling worth
of this great cultural leader of India.
The
acceptance of the leadership of the Congress party and the executive headship
by our sage elder Sri Rajagopalachari has given satisfaction to the general
public of Madras State and opens a new era of stable and efficient governance
of the State. He has already signalised his re-entry into political activity by
his able conduct of Rayalaseema famine relief, and his leadership of the
country by adopting decontrol of foodgrains. On the introduction of the budget,
the Leader has caused another departure by initiating a motion asking a vote of
confidence, which after four days of debate was passed by a comfortable
majority of the Lower House on 3rd July. But it has not been all plain sailing.
The Opposition has taken full opportunity to arraign the Congress
administration of the last five years. Rajaji has, ever since his assumption of
office as Chief Minister, made an open declaration that Communist ideology and
methods will be treated as public enemy No. I, and both earlier and during the
debate on the vote of confidence, explained fully his views. Speaking on May 9
in the Madras Legislative Assembly, Rajaji explained the technique of the
Opposition in the following words: “But what is the policy on the other side?
Every difficulty of the country, every discontent in the country, every
complaint must be taken up, interpreted in the language of
opposition...expanded, exaggerated, repeated, added to and rolled on and made
to grow like a snow-ball so that the Government may get a bad name. They want
industrialisation on the one hand and on the other cottage industries. They
complain of the poor man derived of land in one place, and in another they urge
that the land must be taken away from its holder and nationalised. Every kind
of contradictory satisfaction to every kind of discontented man–that is the
technique of Communism in India...Do not lay traps for the people...By all
means work for Socialism. By all means put Socialism before the country if you
like. But in trying to capture Parliamentary backing for your policy do not
tell stories, exaggerate or go and work up discontent, do not
entrap people...The programme of exploitation of every
grievance in the world brought together in speeches and writings, pictures and
photographs, cannot be promoted without the Government defending the people
against it.” Rajaji with his inside knowledge of this technique, acquired
during his two years’ custody of the Central Home Affairs Ministry, has proved
a little too astute and the Communist opposition is naturally a little angry
with him for re-entry into active politics.
In
spite of our Prime Minister’s wish to infuse fresh blood, and to draw fresh and
vital people as a result of the General Elections, many of the States with
comfortable Congress majorities have put back in places of power and leadership
the old war-horses, trusted and tried leaders of the people–B. C. Roy in
Bengal, Pandit Pant in U. P., Pandit Shukla in Madhya Pradesh, Bhimsen Sachar
in the Panjab; and in Assam, Orissa and Bombay changes have been a minimum. The
debates in the House of the People have taken on new levels of acerbity and
cleavages in points of view are getting more sharp. The debate on Kashmir while
Home Affairs were discussed, and the Prime Minister’s intervention in the
Budget debate were marked by interruptions and hot exchanges, where certain
members reached new limits of extravagance in the expression of their
differences. New life and young life have their own disadvantages.
On 17th March the Prime Minister laid the first steps for a factory at Bulsar to manufacture dyes and pharmaceutical products, like sulpha drugs and folic acid. This 20-crore scheme will raise a new township and create a valuable industry. In Bombay on 19th March the then Minister of State for food, Mr. Tirumala Rao, laid the foundation for a cold storage plant for quick freezing, at a cost of twelve lakhs, capable of processing five tons of fish within eight hours. The new mint at Alipore near Calcutta is house in a fifty acre colony, and is capable of going into production in eight months, processing two lakh coins a day, and is equipped to strike medals and tokens. A Commission on Secondary Education was to be set up and it has been announced on 6th July that the Vice-Chancellor of Madras University has been appointed Chairman of the Commission, which is evidently meant to do for school education what the Radhakrishnan Commission tried to do for University education. Steps are under way for a Telecommunications Training Centre at Jubbulpore, for a high altitude research station and the world’s highest meteorological observatory on Nanga Parbat. On 29th March was announced the organisation of a Bharat Seva Samaj to co-ordinate all social services under the auspices of the Planning Commission; and on July 4th misgivings were expressed in the Budget debate as to this organisation being a Government move to monopolise an important line of activity; the Prime Minister cleared misgivings and assured members that it would be open to all individuals in the country to join and work in the Bharat Sevak Sangha. On 3rd April, the establishment at Delhi of an All-India Medical Institute for higher training was foreshadowed. New Zealand for its share of the Colombo Plan was contributing a million sterling for this institute and appropriately Mr. Watts, the representative of New Zealand, laid the foundation stone. The expert committee for this purpose will have Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar as Chairman.
Mr. Munshi inaugurated on 18th April a cattle breeding centre at Hessarghatta, 16 miles from Bangalore, as an important step to improve the quality of Indian cattle. On 7th May was inaugurated at Delhi a community project workers’ conference lasting seven days. Pandit Nehru spoke feelingly as follows, addressing Development Commissioners: “If you think it is your business to sit in a big office and issue orders you are no good for this job... Whether it be a Development Commissioner or administrator, he must take a spade and dig. No man connected with this scheme will be effective if he merely sits in an office.” The training included visits to Faridabad, Nilokheri and Etawah. Another step of importance is the scheme announced on 15th June of the expansion of Madras harbour at a cost of six crores; provision will be made for holding nine to eleven ships at a time; two more berths are to be provided. Since then, it was announced on 6th July that a crore and a half would be expended in the first year. A hundred University students did a remarkable project as a vacation work in road-building in Himachal Pradesh. On 2nd was announced the starting of a new hospital in Bombay solely for industrial workers, the first of its kind in the country. The celebration of the Zamindari abolition in U. P. on 1st July was a unique phenomenon. This hundred and fifty year old institution ended at a stroke. Twenty-lakh Zamindari estates passed into the State’s control, a hundred and fifty-five crores of compensation is involved. The estates will bring nine crores to the U. P. exchequer.
The
day was celebrated in grand style. It was a day of emancipation of the
peasantry. No classes or intermediaries between the tiller of the soil and the
State will exist any longer. This day of progressive emancipation and social
justice promises increased production and economic uplift for the masses of the
U. P.
The
most outstanding event has been the completion of eleven
agreements of the Indo-American Technical Co-operation Programme. Under this
community development projects are expected to be started in seventeen hundred
centres all over India. The unique feature of the scheme is the effort to
employ fully all available human resources for co-operative farming, small
scale industries, health and educational improvement, among other things. The
later agreements have provided for the supply of fertilisers, technical help in
the river valley developments, increasing industrial potential, expansion of
pig iron production and others. The food foundation has established a centre at
Lucknow, an agricultural research unit at Mandya in Mysore State, another near
Hyderabad five miles from the capital, and an agricultural extension scheme in
Pepsu, to bring new technical knowledge to the cultivator. Twenty thousand
acres of land are to be reclaimed and ploughed.
The
Cultural Mission to China led by Mrs. Pandit had, in their tour of six weeks in
May and early part of June, plenty of opportunity of seeing New China at work.
They witnessed a great power rising in the East, with its revolutionary land
reforms, emancipation of women, and prominence given to the youth. One or two
other members of the delegation noticed also the strict control that
characterised the life of the people. Few mouths; would open to answer too
curious questions. A medical mission to Canada has been sanctioned according to
the Colombo Plan. Norway has offered technical aid in fishery development.
Dr.
Natsir of Indonesia, an ex-premier, was honoured at Delhi and he addressed
Parliament on 29th May. Notable visitors also included a world bank steel
advisory mission, Iraqi and Turkish women delegation, a Jap Industrial Mission
foreshadowing trade agreements later, two water power experts from the U.S.A.
and the celebrated violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
The
arrest and release of Mr. Mistri, Deputy Editor of Blitz, caught the
Executive napping. The supreme court held that Article 22 (2) of the
Constitution had been contravened. The appointment of Syed Fazl Ali, a Supreme
Court judge, on retirement as Governor of Orissa has been another action
capable of misunderstanding. If the impartiality of the highest Judiciary is to
be left impaired, they must not be tempted by favours by the Executive; any
hobnobbing of the Judiciary with the Executive will go against a fundamental
axiom, viz, not only should justice be done but it must also appear to have
been done. A noteworthy event was the four day music festival in honour of
Vishnu Digambar. The President inaugurating the festival pointed out how the
great artist had no peer in devotional music; he was a great mystic who
revitalised Indian music. Another event of increasing significance is the
progress of Acharya Vinoba Bhave’s Bhudan Yajna. As he has pointed out, this
voluntary gift of land is the only workable alternative to Communism, which
having no soul, is alien to Indian genius. Shanker Rao Deo has resigned
Congress Secretaryship in order to devote himself to Sarvodaya Samaj work and
help in the realisation of Bhudan movement. Targets have been fixed for the
various States and the movement gains apace. One of the subjects that roused
very violent feelings has been the redistribution of the Railway Zones, in the
North-Eastern and Eastern Zone. A token strike was staged in Calcutta on 7th
May, when the Transport System came to a standstill for eleven hours, to
express sympathy with the railway workers affected by the Zonal re-arrangement.
The
passing of Dr. Maria Montessori on 7th May in Holland is an event of note. This
great educationist, one of the three greatest in the history of educational
theory and practice, ranks with Froebel and Pestalazzi as the great emancipator
of childhood. Starting as a medical practitioner in charge of defective
children, she discovered special methods of sense-training in childhood which,
when applied to normal children, produced astonishing results and ended in her
becoming a world-famous educator. Possessing a winning personality, with
queenlike grace and dignity, Madame Montessori was a remarkable genius, whose
memory will remain as long as children need education.
Bangalore.
7th July 1952