COMMUNAL DEADLOCK AND A WAY TO SOLVE IT 369
Legislature and shall have the right to sit in the House, speak, vote and answer questions.
(iii) Method of Filling Places
In this connection, I would propose the adoption of the following principles :
( a ) The Prime Minister as the executive head of the Government should have the confidence of the whole House.
( b ) The person representating a particular minority in the Cabinet should have the confidence of the members of his community in the Legislature.
( c ) A member of the Cabinet shall not be liable to be removed except on ; impeachment by the House on the ground of corruption or treason.
Following those principles, my proposal is that the Prime Minister and the members of the Cabinet from the majority community should be elected by the whole House by a single transferable vote and that the representatives of the different Minorities in the Cabinet should be elected by a single transferable vote of the members of each minority community in the Legislature.
C. R EPRESENTATION IN THE L EGISLATURE
This is the most difficult question. All other questions depend upon the solution of this question. It raises two points :
(i) The quantum of representation; and
(ii) The nature of the electorate.
(i) Quantum of Representation
I would first put forth my proposals and then explain the principles on which they are based. The proposals are worked out in the following tables, which show the scale of representation for the different communities in British India in the Central Legislature as well as in the Provincial Legislature :
Proposed Ratio of Representation in the Legislatures
N.B. —The percentages of population in the following Tables differ from the census figures as they have been taken after deducting the population of Aboriginal Tribes :
- CENTRAL ASSEMBLY
Community Percentage of Percentage of population to total Representation Hindus .. .. .. 54.68 40 Muslims .. .. .. 28.50 32 Scheduled Castes .. .. .. 14.30 20 Indian Christians .. .. .. 1.16 3 Sikhs .. .. .. 1.49 4 Anglo-Indians .. .. .. 0.05 1