A Moderate Speaks

A Hindu in Manhattan last week spoke out with subcontinent-sized statesmanship. He was warmhearted, mild-voiced Rai Bahadur Khanna, member of the Working Committee of the Hindu Mahasabha (India's third largest political party), who was in America with Britain's blessing as delegate to the International Pacific Relations Conference recently held in Mont Tremblant, Quebec. His program: > All controversial issues in India to be left in "cold storage" until war's end; > A British guarantee--now--for Indian independence as soon as the war is over; >A national government to be set up--now--to administer all but war matters; >Britain to determine India's foreign policy--but only for the war's duration; > After the war, India to call a Constituent Assembly to determine her own form of government, "with no strings tied," and minority groups who feel they are unfairly considered to apply to an International Tribunal for a ruling which would have to be accepted by the Assembly.

Rai Bahadur Khanna said the Indian question must be settled now, because: 1) "the world will no longer feel vitally concerned about what happens in India after the war"; 2) the Axis is pouring out propaganda to the Indians and, though the great majority of them are anti-Axis, they listen "to get other than a British viewpoint on the war"; 3) "the longer the problem remains unsolved, the more the Indians will turn to extremists for a violent solution--on the basis that the moderates have failed."

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