APPENDIX—VI
GANDHI DIS-FRANCHISED UNTOUCHABLES BY FORCING POONA PACT
BRITISH LEADERS SCATHING CRITICISM OF GANDHIAN TACTICS
Lord Winterton, speaking on the Scheduled Castes, status during the course of the debate on July 16th on India Independence Bill in the House of Commons said that one of the many evil things Mr. Gandhi had done to India was what he had succeeded in bringing about by the Poona Pact. Had it not been for his action, these people would have enjoyed a much better franchise than they did today, but Mr. Gandhi threatened to fast to death. If he again threatened to fast to death after the transfer, it would not be the affair of the Brithish Government.
It had been said that Britain left India a cockpit. Few people had done more than Mr. Gandhi to make it a cockpit, and he regretted that at this late hour Mr. Gandhi had shown no appreciation of the task which had been achieved by the British on the one hand, and Mr. Jinnah and Mr. Nehru on the other.
Another Prominent Conservative Leader Mr. Bucher who spoke on the problem of minorities in India observed,
“Scant attention has been given to minorties, especially in the Committee stage. It is virtually impossible to raise their case, Indeed it is very difficult to do so because this House is today deciding to transfer sovereignty, and power to Indians themselves.
“We are also deciding that independence shall take place before the actual Constitution making. That means that the Constituent Assemblies have it in their power to make the Constitution under which the minorities will have to live.
Dr. Ambedkar, leader of the Scheduled Classes, who has himself served the cause of self Government, has told me that it would be helpful if some reference could be made to his community.