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
At the present moment, however, the duty of those who approve of my
activity is clear. They ought on no account to resent the deprivation of
my liberty, should the Government of India deem it to be their duty to
take it away. A citizen has no right to resist such restriction imposed
in accordance with the laws of the State to which he belongs. Much less
have those who sympathize with him. In my case there can be no question
of sympathy. For I deliberately oppose the Government to the extent of
trying to put its very existence in jeopardy. For my supporters,
therefore, it must be a moment of joy when I am imprisoned. It means the
beginning of success if only the supporters continue the policy for
which I stand. If the Government arrest me, they would do so in order to
stop the progress of non-co-operation which I preach. It follows that if
non-co-operation continues with unabated vigour, even after my arrest,
the Government must imprison others or grant the people's wish in order
to gain their co-operation. Any eruption of violence on the part of the
people even under provocation would end in disaster. Whether therefore
it is I or any one else who is arrested during the campaign, the first
condition of success is that there must be no resentment shown against
it. We cannot imperil the very existence of a Government and quarrel
with its attempt to save itself by punishing those who place it
in danger.
AT THE CALL OF THE COUNTRY
Dr. Sapru delivered before the Khilafat Conference at Allahabad an
impassioned address sympathising with the Mussulmans in their trouble
but dissuaded them from embarking on non-co-operation. He was frankly
unable to suggest a substitute but was emphatically of opinion that
whether there was a substitute or not non-co-operation was a remedy
worse than the disease. He said further that Mussulmans will be taking
upon their shoulders, a serious responsibility, if whilst they appealed
to the ignorant masses to join them, they could not appeal to the Indian
judges to resign and if they did they would not succeed.
I acknowledge the force of Dr. Sapru's last argument. At the back of
Dr. Sapru's mind is the fear that non-co-operation by the ignorant
people would lead to distress and chaos and would do no good. In my
opinion any non-co-operation is bound to do some good. Even the
Viceragal door-keeper saying, 'Please Sir, I can serve the Government no
longer because it has hurt my national honour' and resigning is a step
mightier and more effective than the mightiest speech declaiming against
the Government for its injustice.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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