chapter-2 political movements

the participants in the movement were the Sikh immigrants belonging to
the different agricultural classes along with the Sikh ex-army men. 51
So far the organisation structure of the Ghadr Party was
concerned, it was essentially based on democratic equality where the
entire participants were working on equal footing. In America, in the
factories some sympathizer could form a group with and choose its own
leader who was supposed to act according to the higher leadership of the
Ghadr Party. No worker of the party was given any wages; neither those
working in the office, press or newspaper. 52
It is to be noted further that in order to give shape to the Ghadr
Party programme in America and outside, the major central power organ
was the Ghadr newspaper, through which aims, objectives and
programme of the Party were intimated to the sympathizers of the Ghadr
Party. Although in America meetings and public rallies were held to
organise the Ghadr Party, yet, the major instruments of propagation of the
Ghadr ideas and programmes remained its newspaper the Ghadr. Apart
from the above personal relationships were other important link in its
organisational strategy. To illustrate further mention is made of a public
meeting held on December 31, 1913 at Sacremento under the patronage
of 'Hindi Association'. In this meeting poems were read out and lectures
were given highlighting repression and atrocities along with seditious
orations with the help of lantern slides. The pictures of eminent rebels
were shown along with revolutionary techniques. At the end Lala Hardial
announced the gathering that Germany was preparing for war against
England that the time was ripe to make revolution in India. 53
51 Jagjit Singh, Ghadr Party Lehar, Navyug, Delhi, 2000, pp. 390-419.
52 Ibid., pp. 184-186.
53 Jagjit Singh, op. cit., pp. 186-187.