Page 303, Para 436. M. K. Gandhi's Release from Yervada Central
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1931] GANDHI RELEASED FROM YERVADA PRISON 199 Page 303, Para 436. M. K. Gandhi's release from Yervada Central Prison, Poona on 26th January 1931 and Gandhi and party left Yervada on January 27 for Allahabad via Bombay. Page 368, Para 511. S. B., Bombay Presidency, Poona, February 24.—Young India now appears under the signature of M. K. Gandhi. In the issue dated February 19 he states that he has resumed the editorship. The late editor, J. C. Kumarappa, also contributes an article criticising the Borsad incident. Page 660, Para 873(15). Extract from the Delhi Secret Abstract dated February 28, 1931. Nasik, March 14.—A meeting addressed by Mahatma Gandhi was held in the Hindu College on 25th February 1931 under the presidentship of the Principal of the College, Mr. S. K. Sen, and was attended by about 900 students and practically all the Indian and European members of the staff of the Hindu and St. Stephen's and Law Colleges, the Registrar of the University was also present. Gandhi in his speech pressed for Hindu-Musalman unity, and the cooperation of the youths of India in the present movement. Page 668, Para 940 (3)(4)(5)6). The Bombay Provincial Congress Committee convened two meetings in the mill area on March 16, which were addressed by M. K. Gandhi. One of the meetings was held at 8-30 p.m. at Parel. About 20,000 persons attended the meeting, prominent amongst whom were K. F. Nariman, Jamnadas Dwarkadas, Mukund Malaviya, B. T. Ranadive, G. L. Kandalkar, Miss Slade, Mrs. Kasturba Gandhi, V. H. Joshi, Sundar Kabadi, R. M. Jambhekar, Vasant Khale, V. H. Kulkarni, S. B. Mahadeshwar and A. A. Shaikh. About 300 Congress volunteers in khaki were in attendance. At about 7-00 p.m. on that day, B. T. Ranadive collected about 100 members of the young Workers' League at Lal Baug and went in procession to the place of meeting. The processionists were carrying red flags and placards bearing the following inscriptions:— 1. Victory to the Meerut Prisoners. 2. Victory to the Lahore Conspiracy case. 3. Down with the Truce makers. 4. Victory to the Working Classes. When they arrived at the place of meeting they were stopped from going on to the platform by S. B. Mahadeshwar and other Congress volunteers. Mahadeshwar was, therefore, slapped on the face by one of the processionists. About 50 processionists rushed on the platform and hoisted the red flag by the side of the Congress tri-coloured flag. This caused some excitement among the audience for some time. One man fainted and fell down on the platform. Quiet was, however, soon restored. Gandhi arrived at 8-30 p.m. and the proceedings of the meeting commenced. B. T. Ranadive at the outset condemned the Delhi agreement characterising it as a betrayal of the workers and peasants in India. He asked Gandhi whether any of the communists or the workers and peasants in India were consulted 200 DEMAND TO RELEASE MEERUT PRISONERS [1931 before concluding the truce. He emphatically stated that the agreement was beneficial only to the Princes, landlords and the capitalists. He enquired of Gandhi as to why he had given up his eleven points and why he did not do anything for the release of the Meerut prisoners and for Bhagat Singh and others. He declared that unless the present imperialist system of Government was destroyed, independence could not be achieved in India. He asked the peasants and workers of India to continue the fight for independence to the bitter end. G. L. Kandalkar following Ranadive also condemned the agreement and explained that the Bombay mill-hands had joined the Civil Disobedience campaign with the hope of securing independence. He declared that the workers had no quarrel with the Congress, but that they had every right to press for their demands. He pointed out that when the men of the Standard Mill belonging to Congressman, struck work for increase in wages. he sent for the Police and had them beaten. He declared that the agreement was useful only to the capitalists and that labour leaders were still being sent to jail. M. K. Gandhi in his speech explained the implications of the truce and declared that he had never betrayed the workers in his life and that the independence resolution of the Lahore Congress would be reiterated at the Karachi Congress. Replying to the criticisms of B. T. Ranadive, he said that he had been living with the workers in South Africa and working in their interests much before communism was known in India. Referring to the demand about the release of the Meerut prisoners, he said that he was unable at that stage to insist on their release but assured the workers that if they would help him in increasing the strength of the Congress not only the Meerut prisoners but all the non-political prisoners would come out of jail. He advised the young workers to be patient. He said that he aid not wish to do harm to the Princes and the Capitalists. He said that the capitalists in India had suffered a lot during the last twelve months and that they deserved his sympathy. He added that if any of the people did not agree with his views at the meeting they were welcome to put forth their views before the Congress at Karachi. Referring to his eleven points he stated that they were formulated before the Civil Disobedience movement was started and that the Swaraj scheme which would be formulated would include them. Another meeting of about 15,000 people was addressed by M. K. Gandhi at Dadar near the Tilak Bridge the same night. K. F. Nariman presided. He spoke in much the same strain above and wound up by saying that the agreement was only a truce and not permanent peace. Bombay Suburban District, March 21.—The Congress leaders were busy up to March 18 making preparations to receive M. K. Gandhi and collecting money to be presented to him in a purse. Some Rs. 10,000 were collected in Ghatkopar while G. S. Rindani and V. P. Desai collected Rs. 5,000 including Rs. 1,000 from Mulraj Khatav. On March 18, M. K. Gandhi came to Ville Parle at 7 a.m. and visited the Bhagini Sewa Mandir. He held private interviews with the women workers of the Suburbs for about an hour and then attended the meeting in the church compound just before the conclusion of Vallabhbhai J. Patel's address. After the meeting he went to the Chawai at about 9-30 a.m. where he had a private talk for a couple of hours with Maharashtrian leaders. He then motored to Andheri Station in the noon to catch the Frontier Mail and left for Delhi with Seth Jamnalal Bajaj by 1 p.m. The Frontier 1931] GANDHI LEFT DELHI 201 Mail was specially stopped for about two minutes at Andheri Station to pick up Gandhi. Gandhi was garlanded on behalf of the Railway Staff. Among those present on the Andheri Railway Station platform were Dr. Jivraj Mehta, Surji Vallabhdas and Mrs. Jankibai Bajaj. Among those who left for Delhi by the same train were Mrs. Kasturba Gandhi, Vallabh-bhai Patel, (the President-elect of the Karachi Congress) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Mahadeo Desai, Devidas Gandhi and several other members of the Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad. At Ville-Parle on March 18, there was a large gathering of about 8,000 to 10,000 people to see M. K. Gandhi. The President was K. Natrajan and the speakers Vallabhabhai J. Patel, Jamnalal Bajaj, Swami Anand and Sakinabai Lukmani. M. K. Gandhi also spoke. He said that constructive work should be vigorously carried on; if Congress failed in obtaining their demands, the nation was free to carry on the fight; nothing would be achieved by arguments alone. Their strength should be increased. He had received numerous letters to the effect that political prisoners were not yet released: that people were arrested and lathis used. He advised them to have patience. Mrs. Kamalabai Sonawala presented a purse of Rs. 52,465 to Gandhi. Then Jamnalal Bajaj sold by auction a gold Takli which Gandhi had been working on during the meeting. It fetched Rs. 5,000 (bought by Ram Narayan Harchandrai of Bombay). A sandalwood box given to Gandhi by the Chawani leaders was also auctioned for Rs. 1,000. The Bombay Chronicle—March 17, 1931 SPEECH AT KAMGAR MAIDAN, PAREL I was aware of the existence of Communists in India, said Gandhiji, but I had never seen them outside the Meerut Jail. It was in my tour of the United Provinces that I went to Meerut and visited prisoners of the conspiracy case. I have heard and understood what Mr. B. T. Ranadive said just now and I have also heard Mr. G. L. Khandalkar. I have been with the workers from a time when the Communist organisation in India was not even born. I was actually living with the workers and sharing their joys and sorrows. In South Africa throughout my stay, I worked with the workers (cries of ' No ' 'no '). You are young men but you must be patient and hear me fully. You can even come to me after this meeting and I will spare some time for you and have a discussion with you. I have tried to understand Communism and to adopt whatever good is in it. (Cries: You have not understood it.) This is not the way to bring people round to your views.