Page:White Paper on Indian States (1950).pdf/42

   

71. Till the lapse of Paramountcy, the Crown as represented by and operating through the Political authorities provided the nexus between the Indian States and the Central and Provincial Governments. The pivot of this arrangement was the Viceroy, who as Crown Representative, represented to the Indian States the suzerainty of the British Crown while at the same time he was, in relation to British India, the head of the Government as Governor-General. The Indian Independence Act, 1947, released the States from all their obligations to the Crown. It was evident that if in consequence the Indian States became separate independent entities there would be a serious vacuum not only with regard to the political relationship between the Central Government and the States, but also in respect of the co-ordination of all-India policies in the economic and other fields. All that the Dominion Government inherited from the Paramount Power was the proviso to Section 7 of the Indian Independence Act, which provided for the continuance, until denounced by either of the parties, of agreements between the Indian States and the Central and Provincial Governments in regard to specified matters, such as Customs, Posts and Telegraphs, etc., (Appendix IV).

 

72. It was against this background that the Government of India decided to set up a Department to conduct their relations with the States in matters of common concern.

On 13th June, 1947, the Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, invited Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel and Acharya Kripalani (on behalf of the Congress); Mr. Jinnah, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, and Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar (on behalf of the Muslim League); and Sardar Baldev Singh (on behalf of the Sikhs); to attend an informal meeting to discuss the problem of the States. Sir Conrad Corfield (Political Adviser) was also present. Among the agreed conclusions reached at this meeting was the following:—

"That it would be advantageous if the Government of India were to get up a new Department, possibly called the "States Department", to deal with matters of common concern with the States; that, if this were done, the new Department should be divided into two sections, ready for the partition of the country; and that the existing Political Department and the Political