E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & Timesand the new Indian national government would use 'all its power, prestige andresources' to bring about world peace.Did he expect this to happen? No. 'After the formation of the NationalGovernment', he said, 'my voice may be a voice in the wilderness andnationalist India may go war-mad.'Nationalist India might well have gone 'war-mad' if only to shake off theoppressive frustration of inaction. Nehru, Azad and Rajagopalachari were eagerto have a national government for its own sake, to be sure, but also in order tofight the war. They were militantly anti-fascist. Nehru said, we would fight inevery way possible with non-violence and with arms, by making it a people'swar, by raising a people's army, by increasing production...' But if Britain didnot enable them to do these things, they must continue the struggle forindependence. 'Passivity on our part at this moment', Nehru declared, 'would besuicidal... It would destroy and emasculate us.' Fear of India's emasculation wasan ever present motive- Today the whole of India is impotent,' Gandhicomplained m the same context. In different ways, both Nehru and Gandhiwere concerned with building up the manhood of their people- Gandhi wantedto give them inner strength through confidence- He inspired that feeling in hisIndian and foreign visitors.As the summer of 1942 wore on, it became clear that London would not departfrom the spurned Cripps proposal. Nehru had waited for a sign fromWashington; he had hoped Roosevelt would prevail upon Churchill to makeanother move in India. No sign came. Some Congressmen wondered whetherthe country would respond to a call for civil disobedience, and some fearedthat it would respond violently. Gandhi had no doubts. He was registering anation's blind urge to self- assertion.He did not contemplate the overthrow of the British government. 'A non-violentrevolution,' he explained, 'is not a programme of seizure of power. It is aprogramme of transformation of relationships ending in a peaceful transfer ofpower....'www.mkgandhi.org Page 434