at A.I.C.C. meeting at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay on
August 7, 1942
Before you discuss the resolution,
let me place before you one or two things. I want you to understand two things
very clearly and consider them from the same point of view from which I am
placing them before you. There are people who ask me whether I am the same man
that I was in 1920 or whether there has been any change in me. You are right in
asking that question. I may tell you that I am the same man today that I was in
1920. The only difference is that I am much stronger in certain things now than
I was in 1920. I may explain it by pointing out that a man goes about heavily
clothed in winter but the same man may be found without such clothing in
summer. This outward change does not make any difference in the man. There are
people who may say that I say one thing today and another thing tomorrow. But I
must tell you that there is no change in me. I stick to the principle of
non-violence as I did before. If you are tired of it then you need not come
with me. It is not necessary or incumbent upon you to pass this resolution. If
you want swaraj and independence and if you feel that what I place before you
is a good thing and a right thing then only accept it. It is only that way you
can give me complete support. If you do not do that I am afraid you will have
to rue for what you do. There is not much harm if a man does a wrong thing and
repents but in the present case you will be putting the country also in danger.
If you do not believe fully in what I say then I will request you not to accept
it but leave it. But if you accept it and do not understand me properly then
there is bound to be friction among us although it may be of a friendly nature.
Another point I want to impress upon
you is your responsibility. The members of the All-India CongressCommittee are
like members of Parliament representing the whole of India. The Congress from
its very inception has not been of any particular group or any particular colour
or caste or of any particular province. It has claimed ever since its birth to
represent the whole nation and on your behalf I have made the claim that you represent
not only the registered members of the Congress but the entire nation.
Referring
to the Princes, Mahatma Gandhi stated
that
they were the creation of British power.
Their
number may be six hundred or more. They were created by the ruling power as you
know to create differences between Indian India and
British India. It
may be true that there are differences in the conditions obtaining in
British and Indian India but according to the people of the Indian States there
is no difference as such.The Congress claims to represent them as well. The policy
which the Congress has adopted towards States was drawn up at my instance.
There has been some change but the basis remains the same. Whatever the Princes
may say, their people will acclaim that we have been asking for the very thing
that they want. If we carry on this struggle in the way I want it, the Princes will
get more through it than they can ever expect [from the British power]. I have
met some Princes and they stated their helplessness by saying that we are more
free than they are because they can be removed by the paramount power.
I will remind you that you
should accept the resolution only if you approve of it from the heart because
if you do not you may expose yourself to danger.
We had the opportunity of
running the Government at least in seven provinces. We did put in good work which
was praised even by the British Government. Your work does not finish with the
attainment of freedom. There is no place for dictators in our scheme of things.
Our object is to achieve independence and whoever can take up the reins may do
so. It may be, you decide to place it in the hands of Parsis. You should not
say why the Parsis should be entrusted with power. Maybe that power may be
given to those whose names had never been heard of in the Congress. It will be
for the people to decide. You should not feel that the majority of those who
fought for it were Hindus and the number of Muslims and Parsis in the fight was
small. Once they got freedom, they should change their whole mentality. If
there is the slightest communal taint in your minds, keep off the struggle.
There are people who have
hatred in their hearts for the British. I have heard people saying that they
were disgusted with them. Common people's mind does not
differentiate between British Government and British people. To them both
are the same. They are the people who do not mind the advent of the Japanese.
To them
perhaps it would mean change of masters. But it is a dangerous thing. You
must remove it from your mind. This is a crucial hour. If we keep quiet and do
not play
our part it would not be right on our part. If it is only Britain and the United States who
fight this war and if our part, is only to give monetary help, whether given
willingly or taken from us unwillingly, it is not a very happy proposition.
But we can show our real grit and valour only when it becomes our own fight.
Then even a
child will be brave. We shall get our freedom by fighting. It cannot fall
from the skies. I know fully well that the Britishers will have to give us
freedom when we have made sufficient sacrifices and proved our strength. We must
remove any hatred for the British from our hearts. At least in my heart there
is no such hatred. As a matter of fact, I am a greater friend of the British
now than I ever was. The reason for this is that at this moment they are in
distress. My friendship demands that I must make them aware of their mistakes.
As I am not in the position in which they are, I can point out their mistakes.
I know they are on the brink of a ditch and about to fall into it. Therefore,
even if they want to cut off my hands, my friendship demands that I should try
to pull them out of that ditch.
This is my claim, at which
many people may laugh, but all the same I say this is true. At a time when I am
about to launch the biggest fight in my life there can be no hatred for the
British in my heart. The thought that because they are in difficulties I should
give them a push is totally absent from my mind. It never has been there. Maybe
that in a moment of anger they might do things which might provoke you.
Nevertheless you should not resort to violence and put non-violence to shame.
When such a thing happens you may take it that you will not find me alive,
wherever I may be. My blood will be on your head. If you don't understand this
it will be better if you reject this resolution. It will redound to your
credit. How can I blame you for things which you may not be able to grasp.
There is one principle in the fight which you must adopt. Never believe-as I
have never believed-that the British are going to fail. I do not consider them to be a nation
of cowards. I know before they accept defeat every soul in Britain will be
sacrificed. They may be defeated and they may leave you just as they left the people of Burma,
Malaya and other places with the idea of recapturing the lost ground when they
can. That may be their military strategy. But supposing they leave us what
happenes to us? In that case Japan will come here. The coming in of Japan will
mean the end of China and perhaps of Russia, too. In these matters Pandit Nehru
is my guru (teacher). I do not want to be the instrument of Russia's defeat nor
of China's. If that happens I would hate myself.
You know I like to go at a
rapid speed. But it may be I am not going as rapidly as you want me to. Sardar
Patel is reported to have said that the campaign may be over in a week. I do
not want to be in a hurry. If it ends in a week it will be a miracle and if
this happens it would mean melting the British heart. Maybe wisdom will dawn on
the British and they will understand that it will be wrong for them to put in
jail the very people who want to fight for them. Maybe that a change may come
in Mr. Jinnah's mind after all. He will think that those who are fighting are the sons of the soil and if he sits quiet of what use would
Pakistan be for him.
Non-violence is a matchless
weapon which can help everyone. I know we have not done much by way of non-violence
and therefore, if such a change comes about I will take it as the result of our
labours during the last twenty-two years and that God has helped us to achieve it.
When I raised the slogan 'Quit India' the people in India who were then feeling
despondent felt I had placed before them a new thing. If you want real freedom
you will have to come together and such coming together will create true
democracy-democracy the like of which has not been so far witnessed nor have
there been any attempts made for such type of true democracy. I have read a
good deal about the French revolution. Carlyle's works I read while in jail. I
have great admiration for the French people. Pandit Jawaharlal has told me all
about the Russian revolution. But I hold that though theirs was a fight for the
people it was not a fight for real democracy which I envisaged. My democracy
means every man is his own master. I have read sufficient history and I did not
see such an experiment on so large a scale for the establishment of democracy
by non-violence. Once you understand these things you will forget the
differences between the Hindus and the Muslims. The resolution that is placed
before you says we do not want to remain frogs in a well. We are aiming at a
world federation in which India would be a leading unit. It can come only through
non-violence. Disarmament is only possible if you use the matchless weapon of
non-violence. There are people who may call me a visionary but I tell you I am
a real bania and my business is to obtain swaraj. Speaking to you as a
practical bania, I say, if you are prepared to pay the full price [of
nonviolent conduct], pass this resolution, otherwise, do not pass it. If you do
not accept this resolution I won't be sorry for it, on the contrary I would
dance with joy because you would then relieve me of the tremendous responsibility which you are now going to
place on me. I want you to adopt nonviolence as a matter of policy. With me it
is a creed, but so far as you are concerned I want you to accept it as policy.
As disciplined soldiers you must accept it in toto and stick to it when you join the struggle.
- JANATA, August 13, 2017
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