Appendix—III : The Cabinet Mission - Page 528

THE CABINET MISSION 503

In order to represent the Chief Commissioners’ Provinces, there would be added to Section A the member representing Delhi in the Central Legislative Assembly, the member representing Ajmer-Merwara in the Central Legislative Assembly and a representative to be elected by the Coorg Legislative Council. To Section B would be added a representative of British Baluchistan. The States would be given in the financial Constituent Assembly appropriate representation which would not, on the basis of the calculation of population adopted for British India, exceed 93, but the method of selection would have to be determined by consultation. The States would in the preliminary stage be represented by a Negotiating Committee.

The Cabinet Mission then proposed that representatives thus chosen should meet at New Delhi as soon as possible. A preliminary meeting would be held at which the general order of business would be decided, a chairman and other officers elected and an Advisory Committee on rights of citizens, minorities and tribal and excluded areas set up. Thereafter the Provincial representatives would divide up into Sections A, B and C, as indicated in the Table. These Sections would proceed to settle Provincial constitutions for the Provinces included in each Section and decide whether any group constitution should be set up for those Provinces and if so what Provincial subjects the group should deal with. Provinces should have power to opt out of groups. As soon as the new constitutional arrangements would come into operation, any Province might elect to come out of any group in which it was placed. Such a decision should be taken by the Legislature of the Province after the first general election under the new constitution. The representatives of the Sections and the Indian States should reassemble for the purpose of settling the