dated September 10, 1951: Tandon resigns; Nehru new President

In an emergency meeting held in New Delhi, on 8th the All India Congress Committee elected Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru to take over as President of the Congress succeeding Mr. Purushottamdas Tandon whose resignation was accepted earlier. A resolution was adopted requesting Mr. Nehru ``to undertake the responsibility of the Presidentship and continue to guide the Congress in these critical days.'' By another resolution, the AICC ``regretfully'' accepted the resignation of Mr. Purushottamdas Tandon and placed on record its deep appreciation of ``his great services to the Congress as its President.'' Both resolutions were moved by Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, and adopted by an overwhelming majority.

There was record attendance, with 295 out of 367 members present. The AICC had been convened to solve a first-rate party crisis created by the resignation of Mr. Nehru from the Congress Executive and the Central Election Committee. Most members of the AICC wanted a compromise to be evolved so that both Mr. Nehru and Mr. Tandon could continue to function in their respective roles. All the members of the Working Committee tendered their resignations, and Mr. Tandon indicated his willingness to agree to a proposal by peace-makers that if the AICC put forward a list of new Members of the Working Committee, he would accept it and continue as President. This compromise was not acceptable to Mr. Nehru and his political advisers. In the result, mediation efforts to secure an agreed list failed, and the only alternative was to make Mr. Nehru the President. This was done, Mr. Tandon came to office and got everything ready to be handed over to his successor. Supporters of Mr. Tandon agreed among themselves not to dissent, and to let Mr. Nehru have his way without question.

``Peace Treaty Will Promote New War''

In San Francisco on the 8th, Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko told a press conference that no peaceful settlement in the Far East was possible without Russian participation in a Japanese Peace Treaty whose terms she could accept. Stalin's formidable diplomat described the Treaty drawn up by the United States as a ``draft for a new war.''

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