HC Deb 07 March 1932 vol 262 cc1453-4
1. Mr. WARDLAW-MILNE

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will give the House the latest information he has as to the political situation in India?

2. Mr. LEWIS

asked the secretary of State for India if he has any further statement to make as to the political situation in India?

8. Mr. T. WILLIAMS

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can make a statement in regard to the present political situation in India?

The SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA (Sir Samuel Hoare)

I am circulating a statement covering the events of the past week.

Mr. MARJORIBANKS

Does the statement include any reference to the decision of the Princes in regard to the Federation of India?

Sir S. HOARE

No, Sir. The statement is similar to the series of statements which I circulate and does not include reference to that subject.

Mr. MARJORIBANKS

Is not that the most important thing which has occurred in India during the last two or three months?

Sir S. HOARE

My hon. Friend is repeating his question.

Mr. WILLIAMS

Will the statement include the number of persons put into gaol during this year?

Following is the statement:

The reports received from Provincial Governments show the following reassuring features during the past week:

  1. (a) a decline in Congress activity in Bengal, the United Provinces, the Central Provinces and Assam. In the United Provinces the situation in most districts is now normal:
  2. (b) a decline in the number of convictions in several provinces:
  3. (c) in the North West Frontier Province increased interest in the coming elections; and
  4. (d) some relief in communal tension generally.

On the other hand unsatisfactory features are:

  1. (a) the effect on the general situation in the Punjab and Delhi of the Ahrar party's decision to open its own civil disobedience campaign:
  2. (b) a certain recrudescence of Red Shirt activity in the Peshawar District:
  3. (c) a deterioration in the tribal situation in the direction of Bajaur: and
  4. (d) a tendency of individual Sikh extremists to support the Congress movement.

A feature of civil disobedience utterly inconsistent with non-violence are organised attempts to plant Congress flags on public buildings. These have been most in evidence in Bihar and Orissa, but have also been reported from Bengal. In the former province such attempts have on two separate occasions developed into mass attacks on police stations, which had to be repelled by firing.

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