The Finance Bill

IN everything except the result, the debate which took place in the Legislative Assembly on Monday over Vithalbhai Patel’s proposal for the rejection of the Finance Bill was an appropriate sequel to the debate on Pandit Motilal Nehru’s censure motion on Saturday. Patel, like Nehru, drew up a formidable indictment against the Government. Starting with the declaration that nothing had happened since March last to justify a change in the policy of the Assembly with regard to the Bill and that, on the other hand, the matter had gone worse, Patel referred to the important resolutions of the Assembly which had not been carried out. No Indian had been appointed a member of the Railway Board. The Railway Services had not been Indianised. Railway contracts were not placed on the table of the Assembly. The reservation of railway compartments on a racial basis had not been abandoned, and KC Neogy’s Bill for doing away with it had been killed by the Council of State. Third-class fare had not been reduced, and rupee tenders for stores had not been enforced. Sikh grievances remained unredressed. The Indian Sandhurst was yet to be established. As regards the important question of the Indianisation of the Army, the report of the Territorial Force Committee was absolutely disappointing and the Government’s bona fides were doubted by even Mr Jinnah, whom no one could possibly accuse of extremism. On the other hand, the real mentality of the Government had been disclosed by Sir Charles Innes’ challenge to Nehru to fight a battle with the Commander-in-Chief.