But there are other questions which in these days require to be dealt with by the country as a whole. Sir V. T. Krishnamachari was afraid that the power which item 14 would confer on the Central Government would be too vast, and as an illustration of the subjects that it might extend to, he mentioned food and agriculture. I was rather surprised when my honourable friend mentioned these two subjects. If there is anything today that requires to be dealt with by the National Government, it is questions relating to food and agriculture. We know the dangerous position to which we were reduced in 1943 and 1944 because the Government of India either did not possess or was unwilling for some time to exercise the powers required to control the Provincial Governments and bring them to accept a uniform policy. I may go further and say that experience has shown that the matter is of such vital importance that although a state of war does not exist, the Central Government must continue to exercise the power of coordinating provincial policies in regard to food and agriculture for at least some time more. Again, Sir, these questions are so important as to require the almost continuous attention of international bodies. There is the Food and Agricultural Organization which has been set up in order that these questions might be dealt with in a coordinated way in all the important agricultural countries. It would be most unfortunate, it would be retrograde, if we accepted Sir V. T. Krishnamachari’s amendment, with our eyes open and with a full knowledge of the dangers that we would be exposed to. If we had to obtain the consent of every unit in order to adopt a uniform policy, we would drift again into the position that existed in 1943.
