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
If, after the termination of the war, the position of India
practically remains what it was before, and there is no material
change in it, it will undoubtedly cause bitter disappointment and
great discontent in the country, and the beneficent effects of
participation in common danger, overcome by common effort will soon
disappear, leaving no record behind save the painful memory of
unrealised expectations. We feel sure that the Government is also
alive to the situation and is contemplating measures of reform in
the administration of the country. We feel that we should avail
ourselves of this opportunity to respectfully offer to Government
our humble suggestions as to the lines on which reforms should
proceed. They must, in our opinion, go to the root of the matter.
They must give to the people real and effective participation in
the government of the country, and also remove those irritating
disabilities as regards the possession of arms and a military
career, which indicate want of confidence in the people and place
them in a position of inferiority and helplessness. With this view,
we would take the liberty to suggest the following measures for
consideration and adoption:
1. In all the Executive Councils, Provincial and Imperial, half the
number of members should be Indians; the European element in the
Executive Councils should, as far as possible, be nominated from
the ranks of men trained and educated in the public life of
England, so that India may have the benefit of a wider outlook and
larger experience of the outside world. It is not absolutely
essential that the members of the Executive Councils, Indians or
Europeans, should have experience of actual administration, for, as
in the case of Ministers in England, the assistance of the
permanent officials of the departments is always available to them.
As regards Indians, we venture to say that a sufficient number of
qualified Indians, who can worthily fill the office of members of
the Executive Council and hold portfolios, is always available. Our
short experience in this direction has shown how Indians like Sir
S. P. Sinha, Sir Syed Ali Imam, the late Mr. Krishnaswami Iyer, Sir
Shams-ul-Huda and Sir Sankaran Nair have maintained a high level of
administrative ability in the discharge of their duties. Moreover,
it is well known that the Native States, where Indians have
opportunities, have produced renowned administrators like Sir Salar
Jang, Sir T. Madhava Rao, Sir Sheshadri Ayer, Dewan Bahadur
Raghunath Rao, not to mention the present administrators in the
various Native States of India. The statutory obligation, now
existing, that three of the members of the Supreme Executive
Council shall be selected from the public services in India and
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