Young India: An interpretation and a history of the nationalist movement from withinLajpat Rai, Lala
History
Young India: An interpretation and a history of the nationalist movement from within
Lajpat Rai, Lala
India -- Politics and government -- 1765-1947
There is no doubt that the termination of the war will see a great
advance in the ideals of government all over the civilised world
and especially in the British Empire, which entered into the
struggle in defence of the liberties of weak and small
nationalities and is pouring forth its richest blood and treasure
in upholding the cause of justice and humanity in the international
relations of the world. India has borne her part in this struggle
and cannot remain unaffected by the new spirit of change for a
better state of things. Expectations have been raised in this
country and hopes held out that, after the war, the problems of
Indian Administration will be looked at from a new angle of vision.
The people of India have good reasons to be grateful to England for
the great progress in her material resources and the widening of
her intellectual and political outlook under British rule, and for
the steady, if slow, advance in her national life commencing with
the Charter Act of India of 1833. Up to 1909, the Government of
India was conducted by a bureaucracy almost entirely non-Indian in
its composition and not responsible to the people of India. The
reforms of 1909 for the first time introduced an Indian element in
the direction of affairs in the administration of India. This
element was of a very limited character. The Indian people accepted
it as an indication on the part of the Government of a desire to
admit the Indians into the inner counsels of the Indian Empire. So
far as the Legislative Councils are concerned, the number of
non-official members was merely enlarged with increased facilities
for debate and interpellation. The Supreme Legislative Council
retained an absolute official majority, and in the Provincial
Legislative Councils, where a non-official majority was allowed,
such majority included nominated members and the European
representatives. In measures largely affecting the people, whether
of legislation or taxation, by which Europeans were not directly
affected, the European members would naturally support the
Government, and the nominated members, being nominees of
Government, would be inclined to take the same side. Past
experience has shown that this has actually happened on various
occasions. The non-official majorities, therefore, in the
Provincial Councils have proved largely illusory and give no real
power to the representatives of the people. The Legislative
Councils, whether Supreme or Provincial, are at present nothing but
advisory bodies without any power of effective control over the
Government, Imperial or Provincial. The people or their
representatives are practically as little associated with the real
government of the country as they were before the reforms, except
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