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aspect of our proposals to deal with. I may add that I heard the same complaint from Madras and elsewhere.

As Minister-in-charge of Local Self-government, it was a part of my duty to deal with the election of chairmen by the District Boards, which, under the law, had to be confirmed by the Local Government. I had a serious difficulty in connexion with the case of Mr. B. N. Sasmal, who had been elected Chairman of the District Board of Midnapore. Mr. Sasmal was a prominent Non-Co-opera- tor and was mainly instrumental in bringing about the abolition of the Union Boards in the Midnapore District; and the Union Boards form the basal units of the system of Local Self-government. As Minister in charge of Local Self-government responsible for its steady growth and development, was I to confirm his election, as the head of the most important organization of Local Self-govern- ment in the district? The law gave me the discretion to confirm or to veto it. All eyes were turned towards me, watching to see. what I should do.

The position was one of difficulty and even of some delicacy. It was a serious matter to set aside the decision of a statutory body electing their chief. But the authority being there, vested in the Local Government, there must be occasions when it should be exercised. Was the present one of them? That was the issue I had to decide. I cut out for myself a via media which, I thought, would enable me to protect the interests of Local Self-government, and at the same time give effect to the decision of the District Board. I sent for Mr. B. N. Sasmal. He came and saw me along with Lieutenant Bejoy Prosad Sinha Roy, a member of the Legislative Council, and gave me the assurance that as Chairman he would loyally carry out the principles and provisions of the Local Self- government Act and of local institutions established in furtherance of that Act; and he added that after the coming Council elections he would help in the establishment of the Union Boards. With this declaration of his policy, I felt that I was at liberty, with due regard to the interests of Local Self-government, to confirm the clection and appoint him Chairman of the District Board of Midnapore.