Amongst the hereditary rulers of Indian States, the aristocracy and men of exceptional education and experience, certain qualifications are to be found which could be utilized to advantage in the new government Nowhere else in India can be found training in states manship, diplomacy and administration to compare wit[unclear] the life long education in governing obtained by thes[unclear] classes by virtue of their position. Many are th[unclear] criticisms which have in the past been directed at th[unclear] policies of the princes and at the work of the aristocracy most of them rightly earned. But these abuses are thos[unclear] which inevitably accompany an excess of power exercise[unclear] with the connivance of a foreign government. No government of any form whatever can be without errors an[unclear] abuses if too much power is delegated to one man however intelligent and capable he may be In the new[unclear] government, the abuse of power by anyone in offic[unclear] must be legislated against. so that the public is protecte[unclear] by its constitution from immorality in high places. Th[unclear] principle qualifications of the new heads of our government, then, should be those of ability, training, intelligence, education, leadership, statesmanship, and popula[unclear] appeal. Where else in our country can we find men s[unclear] well qualified to be the titular heads of our governmen[unclear] than amongst our hereditary ruling families? It is m contention that, as the Rajpramukh Rulers should remai at the head of their own groups of states, so should th[unclear] provinces of the Indian Union elect their own Governor through an electoral college set up for this purpose. A[unclear] for the nominal head of the Indian Union, it is my belie that we could not do better than to select a man o princely background and training and personal appeal; n[unclear] ordinary man could hope to unite the masses of India today, no matter how capable or how disinterested his service to his country might be, with the psychological bonds of loyalty and devotion which are the strongest in time of national crisis. Our people are not sufficiently advanced in democratic thinking to give to any other kind of ruler the honour and respect, the blind loyalty and loving-fear that they would be ready to pledge to a popular prince of their own choosing. Among the Raj-pramukhs of India there should be one who could be selected through an electoral college who, with the assistance of an elected advisor, would be an outstanding choice for this dignified role amongst the world’s rulers.
