द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

174 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE would, however, be only for a period of ten years. For Bengal and Punjab, the Committee decided to have no reservation at all. The Hindus, who are in a minority in these two provinces, did not demand any reservation, as being against the principle of nationalism—and the Com- mittee considered it unfair and unreasonable that there should be a reservation of seats for the majority community —namely, the Moslems. As for the Sikhs, they were prepared to forego reservation of seats for their community if the other two communities did so—and if they did not, then the Sikhs demanded representation in excess of their numbers. Besides the question of principle which appealed to the Nehru Committee, practical considerations also showed that the best solution of the Bengal and Punjab problem would be not to have any reservation there. In Bengal, under the existing Constitution, the Moslems have 40 per cent. of the elected seats and the Hindus 60 per cent.—while the Moslem population is about 54 per cent. and the Hindu population about 46 per cent. In Punjab under the existing Constitution, the Moslems have 50 per cent. of the elected seats, the Hindus 31 per cent. and the Sikhs 19 per cent., while in population the Moslems are 55 per cent., the Hindus 34 per cent. and the Sikhs 11 per cent. The Hindu-Moslem-Sikh representation now in vogue is based on the 'Congress League Scheme' which was adopted as a compromise between the Indian National Congress and the All-India Moslem League at Lucknow in 1916. In proportion to their popula- tion, the Moslem representation in Bengal and Punjab was reduced under the 'Congress League Scheme,' because in the other provinces the Moslems got representation far in excess of their numbers and the adjustment of Hindu-Moslem interests was made on an All-India basis. Moslem representa- tion as provided under the Congress League Scheme was no longer acceptable to the Moslems of Bengal and Punjab. At the same time the Nehru Committee found it well-nigh impossible to fix another proportion which would be accept- able to the parties concerned. Therefore, from the practical point of view also, the Committee found it advisable to decide on non-reservation of seats in Bengal and Punjab.