India for Indians: Enlarged EditionDas, Chitta Ranjan
History
India for Indians: Enlarged Edition
Das, Chitta Ranjan
India -- Politics and government -- 1919-1947
Now, gentlemen, there is another difficulty to which I must also
refer. When there are so many conflicting interests in this country it
may be that particular classes of people will be instigated to stand
up against Home Rule. I blame no one in particular but I am placing
before you a possible difficulty. Interested people may stir up the
Namasudras and tell them "Look here, you are hated and oppressed by
the people, the Hindus of Bengal, why should you assist them and help
them to bring in Self-Government because if Self-Government is granted,
the Hindus are bound to oppress you all the more?" Advisers may be
found who will go to my Mahomedan brethren and tell them: "you are as
yet backward in education, if Self-Government is granted to Hindus why
they will be more powerful than you and they will look down upon you
and oppress you." Endeavours of that description unfortunately are not
uncommon in this country and at such a momentous period of our history
the same attempts might be repeated. Gentlemen, it is your duty, under
these circumstances, you who are educated to go to your less educated
brethren, Hindus or Mahomedans and to expose before them the fallacy of
any such argument.
THERE WILL BE NO ROOM FOR OPPRESSION IN OUR SCHEME OF SELF-GOVERNMENT
You ought to tell them that self-government does not mean the
Self-Government of the Hindus; Self-Government does not mean the
Self-Government of the Mahomedans; Self-Government does not mean the
Self-Government of the Zemindars; Self-Government means Government by
all the people of Bengal in which all interests are to be represented
and if there are any classes who are depressed or oppressed, they
ought to be told that the sooner self-government is introduced into
this country the better for them (Hear hear): they ought to be told
that we have no desire to restrict the franchise in any manner at all
to the disregard of any such interest and if any kind of responsible
government is introduced into this country, which is made responsible
to the people, they will have the power in their hands to oppose any
oppression or injustice in every possible way. They will have the power
to return their friends to the Legislative Councils they will have the
power to tell the people who oppose them: if you want to oppress us,
if you go on in that way, it would be against the work of national
development and you shall not have the power to do that. We are asking
for putting the power into the hands of the people and are we to be
told that these people for whom we are fighting in whose interest we
are fighting for the last 30 years, that we are likely to disregard the
interest of these people?
THE TEEMING MILLIONS ARE OF US
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