E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & Timesdemanded. Another resolution denounced British and Indian violence in thePunjab. A third asked for the repeal of the Rowlatt acts.However, the youth and the new elements activized by Gandhi had expectedmuch faster post-war progress towards self-government; delicately balancedCongress resolutions disappointed them. High post-war prices were pressingadditional millions down to starvation level. The Moslem now knew that therewould be no amelioration of Turkey's fate; Montagu had sincerely tried, hencethe Amritsar Congress tribute to him, but the British Cabinet said no. InEngland, moreover, Dyer had found many friends; some collected a large pursefor him. Gandhi did not want Dyer punished but he resented the fact that Dyerkept his pension. The Hunter Report fully demonstrated Dyer's guilt yetrecommended no measures against the Dyerism of British rulers in India.Three months after Gandhi had approved the Montagu- Chelmsford dyarchyreforms at the Amritsar Congress session, these developments turned himagainst them.The Amritsar session was merely a temporary triumph of Gandhian caution. Theunmistakable trend of the country was towards non-co-operation. Events movedfast. In April 1920, Gandhi was elected president of the Home Rule League. OnJune 30, guided by Gandhi, the Khilafat movement sanctioned the policy ofnon-co-operation. Gandhi thereupon wrote to the Viceroy, 'I have advised myMoslem friends to withdraw their support from Your Excellency's governmentand advised the Hindus to join them.' The Viceroy replied that non-cooperationwas 'the most foolish of all foolish schemes'. All Chelmsford's power,however, did not suffice to check it. Gandhi announced that non-co-operationwould commence on August 1, 1920, to be preceded by fasting and prayer onJuly 31. That day Tilak died.With Tilak gone, Gandhi was the undisputed leader of Congress. A specialsession of Congress, which met at Calcutta between September 4 and 9, 1920,approved the non-co- operation movement. The annual convention at Nagpur,Central India, in December, unanimously confirmed this approval; Gandhi thenoffered a resolution making the goal Congress Swaraj, or self-rule, within thewww.mkgandhi.org Page 215