Freedom's Battle: Being a Comprehensive Collection of Writings and Speeches on the Present SituationGandhi, Mahatma
Religion
Freedom's Battle: Being a Comprehensive Collection of Writings and Speeches on the Present Situation
Gandhi, Mahatma
British -- India; India -- Politics and government -- 1919-1947; Nonviolence
Take the second step or the second item of non-co-operation. I know
there is strong opposition to the boycott of councils. The opposition
when you begin to analyse it means not that the step is faulty or that
it is not likely to succeed, but it is due to the belief that the whole
country will not respond to it and that the Moderates will steal into
the councils. I ask the citizens of Mangalore to dispel that fear from
your hearts. United the voters of Mangalore can make it impossible for
either a moderate or an extremist or any other form of leader to enter
the councils as your representative. This step involves no sacrifice of
money, no sacrifice of honour but the gaining of prestige for the whole
nation. And I venture to suggest to you that this one step alone if it
is taken with any degree of unanimity even by the extremists can bring
about the desired relief, but if all do not respond the individual need
not be afraid. He at least will have laid the foundation for true self
progress, let him have the comfort that he at least has washed his hands
clean of the guilt of the Government.
Then I come to the members of the profession which one time I used to
carry on. I have ventured to ask the lawyers of India to suspend their
practice and withdraw their support from a Government which no longer
stands for justice, pure and unadulterated, for the nation. And the step
is good for the individual lawyer who takes it and is good for the
nation if all the lawyers take it.
And so for the Government and the Government aided schools, I must
confess that I cannot reconcile my conscience to my children going to
Government schools and to the programme of non-co-operation is intended
to withdraw all support from Government, and to decline all help
from it.
I will not tax your patience by taking you through the other items of
non-co-operation important as they are. But I have ventured to place
before you four very important and forcible steps any one of which if
fully taken up contains in it possibilities of success. Swadeshi is
preached as an item of non-co-operation, as a demonstration of the
spirit of sacrifice, and it is an item which every man, woman and child
can take up.
_August_ 1920.
SPEECH AT BEZWADA
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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