PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 67
At this stage I would like to endorse what the Hon. the Home Minister has said just now. The mere fact that the Nizam is a Rajpramukh, the mere fact that there is no legislature, the mere fact that certain officers have been lent by the Home Ministry to the Nizam for carrying on the administration of the State, would not alter the character of the Hyderabad State being exactly on the same footing as other States in Part B, which is the same thing as being equivalent to States in Part A. I shall have to say something at a later stage by way of a small qualification, but I should like to say that the mere fact that the officers have been lent would not alter the status and the character or position of the Hyderabad State within the field of the Constitution.
Now, this is the general proposition, namely that the States in Part A as well as the States in Part B are free and independent of the Centre in the matter of executive authority, in the matter of legislative authority and in the mode and manner of administering the legislative and executive authority that they possess. This is the general proposition. The question that we have now to consider is the provision contained in article 371, and the question is: does the provision of this article make any change in the position of States in Part B ? Because, as everyone knows, article 371 applies only to States in Part B and does not apply to States in Part A. In the course of the debate yesterday, I found that one hon. Member said that the Central Government possess no authority to issue any directions to the States except under emergency provisions, which gave me the impression that in his view article 371 could not be the foundation for the Ministry of States or the Government of India to issue directions to States in Part B. With all respect, I submit that I cannot accept that position. To explain the matter fully, the Centre has the power to issue
352 directions under the Constitution to the various States, under four different articles. The first is article which is what is called an emergency article arising out of war or internal aggression and things of that sort. The second article which permits the Centre to issue directions to the States is article 360 which deals with financial emergency; when the President is