Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/289

 left the pace at which India should proceed towards Res- ponsible Government, to the authorities in White Hall to determine in consultation with the Government of India. They took the view that the proposals put forward by the Secretary of State and the Viceroy were not necessarily the corollary to the pronouncement. A much larger measure of Self-Govemment could be given to Indians without in any way going against the spirit of the British policy as laid down in that Declaration. la fact, even the Congress-League Scheme provided for advance by stages, though the stages would be fewer than they would be under the Montague-Chelmsford scheme. He also insisted that it was necessary that a time-limit be fixed in the statute for the attainment by India of fully Responsible administration. The term of 15 years fixed by the Congress might appear arbitrary but it was reasonable.

"Mr. Tilak also claimed that Indians were fully fit for administering Provinces, and that they should be given Provincial Autonomy. He also declared that Responsibility in the Central Government was absolute- ly necessary. He suggested that at least those departments in the Central Government which dealt with affairs which in the case of the provinces were considered fit to be transferred to popular control, should be placed under responsible Ministers, That could be done without resorting to diarchy. The Congress and the League had suggested a scheme for that purpose, and had provided sufficient safeguards.

"Mr. Tilak claimed that good materials for electorates existed in India. Indeed, he went so far as to state that one word from the officials could create elctorates.