Gandhi and AnarchySankaran Nair, C. (Chettur), Sir
History
Gandhi and Anarchy
Sankaran Nair, C. (Chettur), Sir
Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948 -- Political and social views; India -- Politics and government -- 1919-1947
The first of these is also known to be the creed of the Congress.
Therefore, so long as the word Swaraj is not defined in consonance with
Muslim desire and the means for its attainment are not amplified, it is
only natural that Muslim interests in League should be clear. The third
object, Hindu-Muslim unity, is the common object both of the League and
the Congress. The fourth object, the unity of Muslim world, which has
been, along with other questions, connected with the Khilafat has been
specially taken up by the Khilafat Committee. There remains only the
second object that is the protection of the special interest of the
Muslmans. As to this, so long as a much greater and more important
object, that is, the attainment of Swaraj still remains unachieved,
people would rather direct their united efforts against the common enemy
than look after their special interests. They will be attended to when
the time comes for it. As if these causes were not sufficient in
themselves, to decrease Muslim influence in the League, its rules and
regulations were, unfortunately, so framed that, while public opinion
has developed at a rapid pace most members of the League have not moved
an inch from their first position. As a result, the League remains
nothing more than an old calendar. It is very necessary to remove the
causes of the weakness of the League and to remove them immediately, for
in proportion as we approach nearer and nearer to the goal of Swaraj the
need of the League will be felt more and more, because questions of
special Muslim rights will rise again with greater importance when India
is free.
An Indian "Republic"
Our first duty, therefore, should be to reduce the fee for the
membership of the League and thus increase its members, who will choose
their representatives of the League every year. The members to the
Council of the Provincial and the All-India Muslim Leagues should be
chosen as in the case of the Congress every year. But the most pressing
necessity of all is a change in the first object of the League to suit
the changed Muslim conditions. Everyone of us knows that the word Swaraj
has been definitely left vague and undefined in the creed of the
Congress. The object of it has been that, if the Khilafat and the Panjab
wrongs, are settled on the lines of our demands, then Swaraj within the
British Empire will be considered sufficient; otherwise efforts will be
directed towards the attainment of complete independence. But, gentlemen
from the Muslim point of view it is not enough that we should stand for
complete independence alone. It is necessary to decide upon the form
that it should take and in my opinion it can only be an Indian Republic
or on the lines of the United States of India.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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