Keeping the Jewel in the Crown

Title: Keeping the Jewel in the Crown – The British Betrayal of India

Author: Walter Reid

Publisher: Viking Penguin, 2016 (First)

ISBN: 9780670089468

Pages: 288

India's progress from a British colony to full nationhood had not been linear. There was a time when nothing was moving, but towards the middle of the Second World War, it picked up momentum and reached breakneck speed like a body freely falling towards the earth. And fall it did in the aftermath of August 1947. The woeful inadequacy of preparations became painfully evident in the communal riots that ravaged Punjab as part of the forceful exchange of populations. The British and Indian officers were not fully convinced of the magnitude of the events unfolding before their eyes and through which they sleepwalked. Even on the cusp of independence, the bureaucracy and some politicians could not bring themselves to believe that they were performing the last rites of the Raj. The failure of the British in their duty of trusteeship is palpable in all aspects related to the partition, especially the delineation of new boundaries which was carried out in just five weeks and which was not announced until after independence had been granted in order not to upset Britain's last days. This book examines the last thirty years of British rule in the period 1917-1947. What makes it different or unique is the perspective it provides through the prism of politics in Britain and explains the compulsions and decisions of British politicians who doubled as Viceroys and Secretaries of State. Walter Reid studied at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh. He has written a number of acclaimed books on military and political history.

The book starts its narrative from the Montagu Declaration of 1917 which promised increasing association of Indians in every branch of the administration and the gradual development of self-governing institutions. This was with a view to progressive realisation of responsible government in India while keeping it as an integral part of the British Empire. Though couched in lofty rhetoric, the fact was that none of the British politicians had any inclination to vacate from India even in a hundred years’ time. The urgent need of bringing in administrative reforms was prompted by India's heroic effort in the First World War. The initial solid step towards responsible government was taken with the formulation of the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919. It expanded the electorate, and introduced a significant change called diarchy in the provinces. Many departments of the government were brought under Indian ministers who were answerable to the provincial legislatures while all the important offices were kept by British councillors who reported direct to the Governor. At the federal level three out of the seven members in the Viceroy's Council could be Indians, but the Viceroy still retained veto power over their decisions.

Reid stresses on the British politicians’ confusion regarding the nature and scope of autonomy they were willing to concede to India. All of them were of one mind regarding the absolute requirement that India must remain within the ambit of the King. Curiously, the Indian politicians were also not clear on what they wanted, as the cry of Purna Swaraj (total independence) was uttered only in 1930. Till that time, they were satisfied with getting the dominion status. This book does not cover the Indian side of the indecision. There was wide divergence of opinion in crucial matters such as how independent a dominion can be. The Colonial Laws Validity Act of 1865 served as a dampener on colonies’ ambitions. This law empowered the British Parliament to set aside any colonial legislation which was incompatible with British constitutional practice or English Common Law. The colonies were not allowed to maintain defence forces of their own and the Crown set the foreign policy for them. The Statute of Westminster of 1931 changed the scenario entirely. This stipulated that the British Parliament has no authority to legislate for a dominion unless with its consent and no law passed by a dominion parliament could be invalidated. This ushered in a new phase of imperial relations. The British policy had a curious property of always lagging one step behind the Indian demand. In 1906, the Congress had declared that its object was the attainment of a system of government for India similar to that enjoyed by other self-governing dominions of the British Empire like Australia or Canada. This aim was adopted by the Muslim League in 1916. Even as late as 1928 an All-Parties Conference chaired by Motilal Nehru wanted only a dominion status within the empire, as a Commonwealth of India. By the time the Irwin Declaration promised dominion status without a time frame in 1929, India wanted total Independence.

The book lists out many British politicians who hated the idea of granting freedom to India. Some of them were outright reluctant to face the prospects of dismembering the fabled Empire, while a few others loathed the idea on racial lines. Churchill once remarked that Indians are ‘a beastly people with a beastly religion’ (p.101). In the 1920s Lord Birkenhead, the Secretary of State for India, commented that it was frankly inconceivable that India will ever be fit for self-government. Reid acts like an apologist for Churchill who indirectly seeks readers’ forgiveness for what Churchill had done and said regarding Indian independence, in view of his able and masterly contribution in fighting evil such as fascism. He played an important part, first in his opposition to the 1935 India Bill and blocking any attempt to advance India’s progress in the 1930s. As Prime Minister, he presided over a series of initiatives that included the Cripps Mission and its infamous promises that were touted as a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank. Reid also explains the financial angle in which Britain was heavily indebted to India for the manpower and services provided for executing the war effort.

The book does not go into the nitty gritty of the reform regulations, but provides a good summary that is easily readable. The 1935 Act was designed to rein in Congress by a clever division of seats in the Central Assembly between various communities. There were only 100 general seats out of a total of 350. The federal government was envisaged as a weak one with strong provinces. The federal part did not come into being on account of the outbreak of the Second World War. A lot of proposals and committee deliberations were made during the War under American pressure to grant democratic privileges to India. Many schemes were discussed, such as dominion status, own constitution and groupings of provinces. In the end, partition of the country on religious lines turned out to be the only viable solution acceptable to the Congress and Muslim League. The author accuses Britain of betraying India's trust for the haphazard manner in which the partition was brought about. It eventually led to the death and migration of millions of people.

The colonial British authors looked down upon India, but modern writers unfortunately take the other extreme, by hesitating to denounce Indian leaders even when it is warranted. This demur is not surprising considering the many more times of English readers present in India than in England. Sheer business interests skew objectivity to a considerable extent. For example, King George V is remarked to be ‘only a constitutional monarch and a pretty dim one at that’ (p.91). No such outspoken comments are made at the expense of Indian leaders of the freedom movement. This is especially poignant when the author suggests that Gandhi was regularly fed glucose in water during his fasts, probably unbeknown to him. This amusing suggestion is corroborated by the observation that between 24th February and 2nd March 1943, during his fast, his weight had increased by a pound. This is definitely not feasible by any other way than him possessing the faculty of photosynthesis! However, the author hangs on to the most charitable explanation when anything of this sort surfaces.

The book is a pleasure to read with many chapters that focuses on a tiny aspect of the subject under discussion. The uniqueness of this book is the refreshingly new perspective it provides for the freedom struggle in the arena of British politics.

The book is highly recommended.

 

Rating: 4 Star