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Work in the Imperial Council

Sundry Resolutions—reform of Calcutta University—Local Self-government—the Bengal Internments—Provincial Autonomy—recruiting work.

The partition of Bengal having been modified, my objection to joining the Legislative Councils was removed. Early in 1913, I stood as a candidate for election to the Bengal as well as the Imperial Legislative Council. I was elected for both at the head of the poll, but with me it was not all plain sailing. There was a load of prejudice against which I had to contend. I had just finished the anti-Partition campaign. It was a hard tussle; and I had made many enemies. I had to say many unpleasant things, and they were now to be brought up against me in the attempt that was made to disqualify me for election to the Imperial Legislative Council. My disqualification for the Bengal Council had indeed been removed by Sir Edward Baker, the Lieutenant-Governor; my disqualification for the higher Council on the ground of my dismissal from the Civil Service some forty years ago still remained. Lord Hardinge was then lying ill at Dehra Dun, suffering from the effects of the dastardly attempt upon his life; and Sir Guy Fleetwood Wilson, the senior member of the Executive Council, was in charge of the Government. He was known to be a man of liberal views; and he and his civilian colleagues had to deal with the question of my disqualification. An enquiry was started, and several volumes of the Bengalee newspaper were requisitioned from the Imperial Library in Calcutta, and carefully examined in order to discover if any element of sedition could be traced in its columns.

In the meantime, Lord Carmichael, Governor of Bengal, was growing impatient at the delay in the elections, and my friends, among whom were some Europeans in high official positions, were growing apprehensive lest the Government of India should provoke an agitation by disqualifying me. Such a decision would on the face of it be absurd; for, if I was good enough for the Bengal Legislative Council, surely I was good enough for the Imperial Council. Everybody, including Lord Carmichael himself, felt that it would be a grievous blunder. Happily, good sense prevailed in the counsels of the Government, and a blunder was averted. Almost at the first

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