E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & TimesSome members of the Congress Working Committee disagreed with Gandhi'smove. He saw the justice of their point of view. 'The drastic reversal ofpractically the whole of the aggressive programme may be politically unsoundand unwise,' he affirmed, 'but there is no doubt that it is religiously sound.' Andwhen Gandhi took a religious stand nobody could shake him. Chauri Chaura, hesaid, 'shows the way India may easily go, if drastic precautions be not taken'.Congress would have to educate itself and educate the people. As for himself, 'Imust undergo personal cleansing. I must become a fitter instrument able toregister the slightest variation in the moral atmosphere about me.' He fastedfor five days.Meanwhile a sharp struggle was taking place behind the British scenes. It isdescribed by Lord Reading's son and biographer who had at his disposal hisfather's private letters and unpublished state papers. Official demands hadbeen made for Gandhi's arrest. 'The Viceroy', the biography reads, 'was indeedfar from dismissing as unfounded the opinion held by many competentobservers, notably Sir George (later Lord) Lloyd (Governor of Bombay), that Mr.Gandhi's preaching of non-violence was no more than a cloak for plans aimed atan ultimate revolution by violence. Sir George would have had Mr. Gandhiarrested at once, but Lord Reading, as always, opposed arrest for mere speechmaking,dangerous as the speeches might be, and awaited some definite act. "Iam quite prepared to face the consequences of Gandhi's arrest if he takesaction", Reading declared.'After an interval, the Secretary of State, Edwin "Montagu", the biographycontinues, 'instructed Lord Reading to arrest the principal leaders of the nonco-operationmovement, including Mr. Gandhi". Reading, however, resisted thisorder. His son, in the biography of his father, writes: 'Lord Reading stillpreferred to wait for some definite move by Mr. Gandhi- It looked as though theoccasion for the arrest would come soon enough, for Mr. Gandhi had announcedthat he was about to start active civil disobedience in the Bardoli tehsil(county) 0f the Surat district in Bombay Presidency, and on January 24 thewww.mkgandhi.org Page 225