"There must be complete independence, if England's policy is in
conflict with the Moslim sentiment on the Khilafat question or with the
Indian sentiment in the Punjab."
And in his recent speech at the congress opposing the resolution for
Independence it was said that if the Punjab and Khilafat demands are
complied with, Independence is not necessary. Well, he knows or ought to
know they are impossible demands. The implication is plain and taken in
conjunction with what has been said above as to the Western civilisation
and the Indianisation of the English people, the conclusion that he is
really aiming at Independence is inevitable. To certain Boy Scouts on
the 23rd March he was quite plain. He said:--
"No Indian could remain loyal in the accepted sense to the Empire as it
was at present represented and be loyal to God at the same time. An
Empire that could be responsible for the terrorism of the martial law
regime, that would not repent of the wrong, that could enter into
secret treaties in breach of solemn obligations could only be reckoned
as a Godless Empire. Loyalty to such an Empire was disloyalty to God".
These have to be borne in mind when we consider the question of the
Swaraj that he has put forward. The Swaraj that he works for is thus
described:--
"Swaraj means full Dominion status. The scheme of such swaraj shall be
framed by representatives duly elected in terms of the Congress
constitution. That means four anna franchise. Every Indian adult, male
or female, paying four annas and signing the Congress creed will be
entitled to be placed on the electoral list. These would elect
delegates who would frame Swaraj constitution. This shall be given
effect to without any change by the British Parliament".
A more preposterous demand cannot be imagined. He excludes all those who
do not belong to his Congress. Those who do not pay annas four and sign
the congress creed form the majority of the population. Again to ask the
British Parliament to accept the scheme framed by his party however
absurd, without examination of the same is absolute nonsense. If Mr.
Gandhi and his party can frame a scheme of Swaraj for the consideration
of the rest of India, have it discussed with others modified if
necessary after such discussion, it may be, and it ought to be placed
before the Government and Parliament. But this is the last thing he will
do, for various reasons. Mr. Gandhi himself will never do it because I
doubt whether he has any correct idea of the Dominion status and all
that it involves. Mr. Gandhi is not a student but an impulsive fanatic
indifferent to facts but obsessed by phantasmagoria. He jumps to what he
calls conclusions but which have in fact no premises. Again he will not
see it done because what he really desires is not an honest settlement
which will give India a further instalment of Swaraj but as the
preceding extracts show what he wants is really absolute independence
according to his professions but really anarchy or soul force. If he
were honest in his desire to secure Swaraj he and his followers would
not have boycotted the Councils but would have entered them to take
further steps towards its attainment.
I am therefore satisfied that Mr. Gandhi does not aim at a fair
settlement of the Punjab difficulties. He does not want an equitable
peace satisfying the just claims of the Mahomedans. He does not want
Parliamentary Swaraj or Home Rule. But for tactical purposes he is
putting them forward to destroy the English Government, in order to
attain his object of a society outlined in his "Indian Home Rule," some
features of it I have set forth above.--A society without Government,
Railways, Hospitals, Schools, Courts, etc. His programme is therefore
put forward to clear the way to obtain his object. This Swaraj is to be
attained by, in the words of the Resolution, non-violent
non-co-operation with Government. And among others the following steps
were recommended for adoption: (1) Boycott of Government aided schools
and colleges and establishment of National schools and colleges, (2)
Boycott of British Courts by Lawyers and Litigants (3) Boycott of
Reformed Councils (4) Boycott of Foreign goods and use of spinning
wheels. Out of these I shall naturally take up the question of the
boycott of Government and aided institutions and the nature of education
sought to be imparted by Mr. Gandhi.