S~r\1ant of India Editor: S. G. VAS. 0fIiee : 8:uvloll"l'S 01" lJrnu 800Il1'l"1", POOl<. f. IlIDIAN Ra. 6. VOL, XXII. No. 16.} POONA-THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 1939. { FOREIGN SUlI8N. ISs. CON T li: N T S. Kolhapur Administration will no~ be so foolish aa p_ to reject the offer of ~ration whioh has been ... 117 eDended nnder sucb difficult cirC1lll1StaDces. -!'oPlO. 0" lrD WIlD: _ • • .AB1'IOUS :- • araod .AlII ........_ A"""BOD. ••• IO~ MYSOBB which olaims to be one of tbe moat advanced of the Iudian States, is following a BoU.. Bo,oe aod Bunoot CarL B,. B. G. B. lOS policy of late wblch bas completely alienated the CoIlUlfT COIlJOlIIT: 104 eympathiea of the Stata people towards the State. The Myeora State Congrees bas dissociated itself Bnawl- from ~e Stat... Legislature as also from tbe Mysore ladle.. Elotorl.et CODII"'.... BJ M. V. Reforma Enquiry Committee. We fan to under­ 8ubrahma..,am. JO'I stand wbal; good it will serve the Mysore Goveru­ ment to alienate the eympethiea of ita own people. hORT NOTte.. •.. 108 The reeommendations of the Myaora Reform Com­ KIIOBLL&lfZOOS :- mittee will have no value indeed if tbey are not The Bomba,. Laud TeDa""" BilJ, backed up by the support of the people of the I Tb. De ..... Sebba·. Vie •• I ••• 108 State. It is troe that Mysore is much better, governed than most other Indian States, but this is aD additional reason wby It should take the lead of establishingresponeible government in tbe l"pitS of the Uttek. State. .. The Present Government of Mysore are never tired of broadc88ting" said Mr. Dasappa, the President of the Myaore State People's Confer­ State.' People In Conference. ence .. tbat Mysore is fa. in advance of British TEB demand of tbe States people for full India. Where then ia the justification for delay­ relponaible government baa reoeived furthe" power­ ing the introduction of responsible government." ful IUPPOr1l from the Statee' People'l Conferenoee W 8 think tbat the' legitimacy of the claim of of MYBore and Kolbapur. Unfortunately in both Mr. Dasappa oannot be denied by any right­ these Statel, the relations 0 between the rulers ~ink.ingman. In short, thinge have come to such and tbe ruled have been atrained almost to tbe a pass in the Indian States that nothing sbort of breaking point by the bigh.handed aolioue of the responsible government oal! satisfy the political 8tate authorltiel. The Kolbapur State did not aspirations of tbe people. The States muet choose allow 11.11· people to meet in Conference witbin the therefore between granting responsible government borders of the State, thougb the State people bad and ensuring peace and proeperity in their domi­ done notbing to delerve this shabby treatment at nions or resisting the demand of the people whioh tbe hands of the governmenL The Kolhapur Admi­ can only result in oontinuous strife and .disorder. nistratioli deolared a truce with Us people and promised to fulfil their legitimate demands on tbe • • • eve of the Vlceroy'R tou. in the Kolbapur State. Zamlndars and Kisans. But the momen' the viceregal tour was over, it went baok. on ita own promise. and launohed on THB lasi Easter holidays witnessed the _ions a oareer of terrible repression. The leadere of the of i.m very eignifioant oonferenoes of an all-India State people were put under imprisonment and a oharacter. The fourth eession 0 of the All-India ban was plaoed On the meetinge and proc... iona Kisan Sabha was held at Gaya under the presidenoy of the State peopl... No one oan view, without of Acharya Narendra Dev and was attended fee1iql of absolute annoyance, this rutbl... by thousands of delegates coming from all over luppreaeion of oivil liber,>, in the Kolhapur state. India; and the lirat aession of what ia now styled Still, the Kolhapur people have shown remarkable the All-Iudia Landboldere Federation W88 held at powera of fortitude and tolerance in the midst of Luok.now under the presldentship of the Maharaja­ thaae annoying provooatiollll. The,. are wming to dhiraj of Darbhanga and was attended by about oo-operate with the State if only the State takes 1,600 delegates coming from all the provinoes of ~em into lte confidence. .. While welooming the India. announoement of the Maharaja to grant political reforms in the State" runa a reeolution of the • • • Jrolhapur People'. Conference, it .. Heluaata him to NATURALLY enougb, moat of the queations on BnlllN the «»operation of the State'. paople'a re- wblch these two oonferencee passed resolutiona o preaenta\lvaa in their formulation." ThWl, II; will be were of oommon and also vital interest to both; ..en thai tbe Kolhapur people are, as it were, and significantly enongh the reepeotive reaolutiona .. dyiu8 for CIO!'Operati0u." and ?8 bope that the paaeed by them, OD these questio~ were, in all 198 THE SERVANT 011' INDIA r APRn. 20. 19S9. -------------------------.~----------------- essentials, mutuaIly contradictory. While the Landholders' delusion. Kisan Sabha passed a resolution advocating the complete abolition of the zamindari system with­ THE All-India Landholders' Conference which out any compensation to the zamind",rs, the Land­ met last week a.t Luc~now . hB!' had the unique holders' Conference,· by means of a resolution, set advantage of beIng gUided ID lts deliberations by up a sort of standing committee to watch the t~o eminently reasonable landbolders, tbe Maharaja­ interests of the zamindars all over India and to dhirai _ of Darbhanga and the N awab of Chhatari. protect them even from minor encroach mente. Speaking about the future role of the zamindars in While the KiEan Sabha severely criticized India tbe Maharajadhiraj of Darbhanga said" we even the Congress Governments for not going far must, however, recognise that we cannot stand enough or fast enough in the matter of ameliora­ aloof from the factors governing tbe tendencies of tive agrarian legislation, the landholders equally the new world in which we find ourselves ......... severely criticized them as also other provincial we must think how best we can fit ourselves in governments for curtailing, what they called, ths the general scheme of national regeneration wbioh age-long and inherent privileges of the zamindars. i~ t~; most vital problem of the present genera­ W:h!le the K;isan Sa?ba advocated an uncompro­ tion. It was expected that after this sound piece miSIng offensive agamst the impending federal of advice from the President of tbe Conference scheme, the landbolders, while considering the tbe landholders of India would so conduct theU: imposition of agricultural income-tax, thought of proceedings as not to give rise to any suspicion seeking protection against the popular Governments that they would block the progress of tbe ameliora­ from tbe Governors, the Viceroy and even the tive measures of tbe provincial governments. But, Sec~etary of State for India by bringing to their unfortunately the landholders of India could not notice, by means. of memoranda and deputations, rise equal to the occasion and chalked out for the relevant sections of the Government of India themselves Ii course of action by which they will Act and the Instrument of Instruction hy which only range themselves against the progressive and the interests of the.. zamindars are to he safeguarded. democratic elements.. of the.. country... .. IT is sufficient to give only one instance to THE moral of the situation is not far to seek illustrate the "reactionary attitude of the Indian The Kisans and the Zamindars, by their very landholders. Under the new reforins, the imposition positi~n in !he econom!c stru,ctu,re of our country, of agricultural income-tax has been deliberately ar<; v!tally l,nterested. ID achieVIng contradictory assigned to the provincial governments with the obJectives. 'I he zammdars, as a class, certainly view that the popular governments sbould make stand to lose exactly to the extent to wbich a use of it. Accordingly, both the Provincial Govern­ change in favour of the Kisans is effected in the ments of Bihar and Assam have paRsed laws slatus quo and the Kisane believe that the zamin­ imposing agricultural income-tax and the· other dari system is very largely responsible for their provinces are thinking of following suit. But the present state of misery and destitution. Conse­ Landholders' Conference in its recent session at quently one class wants the perpetuation and the Lucknow has not only .. emphatically protested" other the abolition of the existing system of against the imposition of tbis tax, but has also landholding. This antagonism between the interests appealed to the Crown representative to invoke his of t bese two classe~ was, for all practical pur­ prerogative to veto tbis measure of taxation, poses, dormant untIl very recently though it because "it is in direct contravention of the manifested itself in sporadic revolts of the Kisans guarantee given by the Governor-General in Council against the oppression of their masters. It is now at the time of the permanent settlement." It is developing into a veritable struggle between the sure that the Crown representative will not pay two classes and the signs of the times are such any heed to this fantastic appeal of the land­ tbat it will continue to rage in a more or less holders. The only resuU of this attitude of the bitter form. landholders will be to antagonise them with the .. .. progressive and popular elements of the conntry. " " " IN India, under the present circumstances' IT is curions that the Indian landbolders putting the hands of tbe clock back is certainly have discovered now that the imposition of agri­ out of the question.