2. Sir Nairne Stewart Sandemanasked the Under-Secretary of State for India what was the full wording of the resolution passed by the conference of Indian Princes at Bombay on 12th June?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MuirheadThe text of the resolution is understood to have been as follows:
The Conference of Princes and Ministers assembled at Bombay, having considered the revised draft Instrument of Accession and connected papers, resolves:That the terms on the basis of which Accession is offered are fundamentally unsatisfactory in the directions indicated in the Report of the Hydari Committee of Ministers and confirmed by recommendations of the Gwalior Conference, and are, therefore, unacceptable.At the same time, the Conference records its belief that it could not be the intention of His Majesty's Government to close the door on an All-India Federation
§ Lieut.-Colonel MuirheadMy hon. Friend will understand that at the moment we have no official information of what decision the Conference arrived at, and that the information that I have given is, therefore, unofficial.
§ Mr. SorensenAre we to take it from the statement just made that the Government are reconsidering the whole question of Federation?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MuirheadNo, the hon. Gentleman ought not to draw that conclusion.
§ Mr. Wedgwood BennAre the Government aware of the great danger that arises if Federation is indefinitely postponed?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MuirheadI think that the whole question of Federation is recognised as an extremely important one.
§ Mr. SorensenIs the hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that this particular scheme of Federation has been attacked both from the left and the right, and would it not be better to reconsider the whole matter?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MuirheadIt is very often the case that a thing is attacked from several points of view without necessarily being bad.