Lahore Municipal Resignations

WE have published a statement issued by 14 non-Muslim members of the Lahore Municipal Committee regarding the circumstances under which they have felt it their duty to resign from the membership of the committee. These members comprise all the elected Hindu members, except Lala Duni Chand, who is in jail; two of the three nominated Hindu members, the third being seriously ill; the only Sikh member; and all the four Indian Christian members. While reserving detailed comment on the statement for a later issue, we cannot but extend our wholehearted support to the resigning members in the action they have taken. The President’s attitude, as described by the members, did not leave any other honourable course open to the members except to resign. Whatever the President may have to say in his defence, and we shall be glad to learn what he has to say in reply, it is a most telling circumstance against him that there does not seem to be a single Hindu, Sikh or Indian Christian member of the municipality who is satisfied with his discharge of the duties of the high office which he fills. On a priori grounds, therefore, we cannot help coming to the conclusion that there must be something seriously wrong with the conduct of the President when he cannot please any community except his own. The same is true of the disruptive and sectarian policy of the Minister for Local Self-Government which underlies the re-distribution of seats between the different communities in Lahore and several other municipalities. The representatives of the non-Muslim communities on the Lahore Municipal Committee could not have made their protest stronger or clearer.

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