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
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