The Young Gentlemen

Prime Minister Nehru and other Indian global spokesmen show a tolerance of Communism which seems to be for export only. At home, government pressure on Communists has helped to roll back their influence in recent months. Last week India's Communist party got another blow: the national Parliament (with only one dissenting vote) approved the extension of a law permitting the government to jail Communists (and black marketeers) without trial. The law, however, requires the police to consult with a board of retired judges on such arrests.

Speaking for the bill, Home Affairs Minister Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, a leader of Nehru's Congress Party, made some cogent remarks about Communism:

"It is believed by some that violent Communism has arisen out of poverty. I know, however, that the main supporters of Communism in this country have a large percentage of young gentlemen whose parents have substantial properties. There is in human nature an element that is drawn by the spirit of adventure, the lure of sacrifice and the attraction of secrecy. [The Communists] have replaced the fervor of old-fashioned religion with the fervor of their new creed."

To those who complained that his anti-Communist law infringed upon democratic freedom, Rajagopalachari answered:

"Principles of individual liberty are good, but they are intended for the well-being of society--not to destroy it ... Let's not allow good principles to be exploited by wicked people ... If I dig a well, it's to get water to drink, not to fall into and be drowned."

Even Nehru gets the point--at home. He has privately advised Congress Party leaders not to sign the Communist-inspired Stockholm Peace Appeal.

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