OPPOSITION IN INDIA 163

While the Committee endorsed the view that without
the transfer of " Law and Order " provincial autonomy
would be a sham and a delusion, they proposed to
transfer this responsibility to the control of Ministers on
two specific conditions : (i) the Constitution Act should
provide that any legislation affecting the existing Police
Acts and the rules thereunder must have the assent of the
Governor, and that he should be empowered to give all
directions necessary to ensure that the records of the
Intelligence or special branches of the police remain strictly
official secrets. It should be noted here that the Central
Intelligence Bureau is to be assigned to one of the Governor-
GeneraTs Reserved Departments and the existing relation-
ship between the Central Bureau and the Provincial In-
telligence Departments will continue, (2) There must be
a special provision for dealing with the recrudescence of
terrorist activities. The Act should specifically empower the
Governor to assume charge of any branch of the Govern-
ment for the purpose of combating such activities, or if
necessary to create new machinery for the purpose. The
opponents of the proposal for the transfer of the portfolio
of " Law and Order " declared that these safeguards for the
administration of the police force constituted a consider-
able improvement on the White Paper recommendations;
but to the Indian public these limitations are regarded
as a fruitful source for perpetuating distrust and suspicion
between the Government and the people.

CL OPPOSITION IN INDIA

But in these formidable arrays of safeguards, limitations,
reservations, special responsibilities, discretionary powers,
which are now reproduced in the Constitution Act with
some additions, it has been rather difficult for Indian
public opinion to discover what was declared to be " the
spirit of partnership in a common enterprise/' Indeed, the
White Paper seemed to please or satisfy or appease no party
or group of politicians, or any community in India.