E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi's 'Theory of Trusteeship… 198in the economic field. In Gandhi's view, this would only leadsociety into the quagmire of violence and conflict. 19Gandhi's opposition to violent dispossession has beengrossly, and in some instances, deliberately misinterpreted. It isargued that Gandhi was against dispossession because, in theultimate analysis, he believed in preserving existing propertyrelationships. He is portrayed as a defender of private property;one who was not willing to abolish class distinctions, one whodefended the riches of the rich and the poverty of the poor, anddefended the right of the rich to exploit the poor. There cannotbe a more unjust misinterpretation of Gandhi's views. Gandhiwas not opposed to dispossession because he wanted to leavethe rich in possession of their riches, or because he believed inprivate property, but because he believed that violent meanscould not solve any social problem, including the evils thathave originated from private property. He did not believe inprivate property; in inequalities of wealth; in inherited riches;and in private ownership of the instruments of production.Let us first look at his views on inequalities of wealth.The poverty and inequality that private ownership had broughtabout were revolting to him. He described them as crimeagainst man and God. He would not tolerate them for a day ifhe had power to end them, His speech at the inauguration of theBanaras Hindu University, 20 his letter to the Viceroy on the eveof Civil Disobedience, 21 his statement at the Ahmedabad trial 22and his speeches at the Round Table Conference 23 beareloquent testimony to his anguish and indignation at the cruelexploitation of the masses by the rich, and his totalidentification with the interests of the masses, the dispossessed,the Daridranarayan as he called them. 24At the Round Table Conference he set the Thamesaflame by declaring that when Independence came, every title