THE TRANSFER OF POWER 457
great body of what are known as the Scheduled Castes who feel that in spite of Mr. Gandhi’s earnest endeavours on their behalf, that, as a community, they stand outside the main body of the Hindu community which is represented by the Congress.” This statement was made by Mr. Amery when he was elucidating the announcement made by the Viceroy on 8th August 1940 in which the following pledge was given to the minorities, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government. The Viceroy Said : “There are two main points which have emerged. On these two points His Majesty’s Government now desire me to make their position clear. The first is as to the position of the minorities in relation to any future constitutional scheme..... It goes without saying that they (H. M. Government) could not contemplate the transfer of their present responsibilities for the peace and welfare of India to any system of Government whose authority is directly denied by large and powerful elements in India’s national life. Nor could they be parties to the coercion of such elements into submission to such a Government,” Again on the 23rd April 1941, Mr. Amery referred to the demand of the constitutent assembly and expressed himself in the following terms: “India’s future constitution should be devised by Indians for themselves and not by the British Government. India’s future constitution should be essentially an Indian constitution, framed in accordance with the Indian conception of Indian conditions and Indian needs. The only essential condition is that the constitution itself and the body which is to frame it must be the outcome of agreement between principal elements in India’s national life.”
Such were the views expressed and pledges given by His Majesty’s Government regarding Constituent Assembly, which is now conceded. Regarding the demand for Pakistan it was a demand put forward by the Muslim League. This demand was also rejected by His Majesty’s Government. This is what Mr. Amery said in regard to it in the House of Commons on August 1, 1940.
“This reaction against the dangers of what is called the Congress Raj or Hindu Raj has gone so far as to lead to a growing demand from Muslim quarters for a complete breaking up of India into separate Hindu and Muslim dominions. I need say nothing to-day of the manifold and to my mind, insuperable objections to such