India for Indians: Enlarged EditionDas, Chitta Ranjan
History
India for Indians: Enlarged Edition
Das, Chitta Ranjan
India -- Politics and government -- 1919-1947
moment that call is sounded, every Indian is to take his hands off that
machinery (hear, hear) and compel this Government to do what you like.
But ours are not the hands which will move your machinery (hear, hear).
That is putting in force the entire scheme. Then, let us consider what
we have got to do in the meantime. The Calcutta resolution was confined
to the students and lawyers and a general resolution about boycott of
foreign goods. Here we say we keep the same injunction with regard to
students but we differentiate between students under 16 and students
above 16. Then, with regard to lawyers, we keep not only the same
thing, we re-affirm the Calcutta resolution, but we say that we are
not satisfied with the way in which that resolution has been responded
to by lawyers; and we say that greater effort must be made to secure
that; and also we refer to the scheme of settlement of disputes by
private arbitration. Then comes the economic question, and we say that
the economic drainage is one of the greatest wrongs from which we have
suffered: and we say that a Committee of experts must be appointed at
once to form and organise a plan of boycott of foreign goods. Then we
come to the other question. We come to the boycott of Councils. We say
that it has succeeded, and we say further what naturally follows from
that, namely, that the men who are at present occupying those seats
are not representatives of the people of India (Hear, Hear). Not only
do we stop there, but we go further, that those people who pretend to
represent them do not represent them, and therefore we call upon the
voters not to take any political assistance from those people. And then
we appeal generally, for unity in favour of the depressed classes, in
favour of every section of the community which require protection and
development more than we do. This is the scheme of the resolution. In
what respect is it weaker? In respect of lawyers? I say 'no,' because
it re-affirms but it continues to call upon lawyers to act up to that
resolution. Is it weaker in any point? From the point of view of
students, I say 'no.' I have guarded against students coming out under
false sentiment. I think that it is right, that this greatest national
assembly in India should declare that those students who feel the call
of duty and conscience should immediately come out, regardless of
consequence (Hear, hear). Is it weaker in respect of the boys under
16 years? I say what is weakness, and what is strength? We make it
stronger by making it more just and more practical. Is it weaker in
respect of the economic question? I do not admit that, because in the
general resolution which you had and which Mahatma Gandhi himself was
to carry out, we have got a systematic plan of economic boycott and
a practical boycott--a boycott which will not only be spoken of but
acted upon by every Indian worth the name. I ask again,--where lies
the weakness of such a resolution? It is nothing but the result of
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