Gentlemen, you will find similar expressions of his opinion in January
and one or two in February. In March, Mr. Surendranath Banerjea went
to Delhi and from that moment--well I am reminded of the "Rake's
progress"--I shudder to think of the last step--I think, we the
people of Bengal--we are entitled to ask for an explanation of this
phenomenon. We are entitled to ask Sir Surendranath--I beg your pardon,
gentlemen, I beg his pardon too--coming events cast their shadow before
and I was caught in that shadow just for a moment--I think, gentlemen,
we are entitled to ask Mr. Surendranath why is it that yesterday he
was determined not to have any measure of self-government which was
not satisfactory, which was not responsible, which was not wide in
its scope and why is it that to-day in the month of June, 1918, he is
of opinion that whatever scheme the Secretary of State puts forward
should be accepted by the people--if it is satisfactory it should be
accepted, if it is not satisfactory, even then it should be accepted
because if we did not accept it, the British people might not grant
anything at all. We want an explanation of this. He is the leader of
Bengal--he claims that. I am free to acknowledge that claim, but we the
people of Bengal who have loved him, followed him and honoured him, we
who had "learnt his great language" and "caught his clear accents," we
who had followed him with all the devotion of our hearts, we who had
lived "in his mild and magnificent eye" for the last 30 years, are we
not entitled to ask him to explain to us the inner significance the
deeper meaning of this change? (Hear hear,) It cannot be for "a handful
silver," we are told, it is not for "a riband to stick in his coat."
What is it then?