Congress Activities Congress Activities 1942 During the fortnight, under review, Bardoli was the scene of Considerable Congress activity. Large crowds witnessed with enthusiasm the arrival of the more important Congress leaders. The meeting of the All India Spinners' Association was held in camera on December 17th, 18th and 19th. It is understood that M. K. Gandhi suggested that war conditions provided an excellent opportunity for the spread of the use of Khaddar. Practical plans were discussed for the extension and improvement of the activities of the Association. The Congress Working Committee sat from December 23rd to December 30th and the resolution which was finally passed has appeared in the press. On December 26th, a public meeting was held at Bardoli which was attended by about 25,000 persons. M. K, Gandhi delivered a brief speech on the importance of the constructive programme and invited a study of his pamphlet on the subject. He expressed himself as not satisfied with the progress made in spinning by local Congressmen. Vsllabhbhai J. Patel, Moulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Abdul Gafar Khan, Dr. Khan, Govind Vallabh Pant and Bhulabhai J. Desai delivered brief speeches in the course of which they explained that the approach of the war to India had created difficulties for the leaders responsible for Congress policy, but counselled faith in the Congress cause and asked their audience to await further instructions. They avoided giving any hint as to the nature of the Working Committee's deliberations. On December 31st, a meeting was held at Surat which was attended by about 30,000 persons, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the chief speaker, referring to the Working Committee resolution deprecated misleading comments which had appeared in the press. He warned his audience against forming the impression that Gandhi had severed his connection with the Congress or that he was no longer interested in India's fight for independence. He described the Satyagraha Movement as a complete success in its moral effect. Lakhs of people, he said, were prepared to go to jail, but the Congress did not wish to embarrass Government at this time. In the event of India experiencing the horrors of war, the people should remain Congress Activities calm and rely upon village and cottage industries. Nehru stated that his sympathies were with the British, but not with the British administration of India and appealed to his audience to follow the example of the people of China and Russia and fight for the country's goal. In conclusion, he advocated the establishment and extension of volunteer organisations, not for the purpose of satyagraha but to help the people in times of distress and to carry the Congress message throughout the country. Brief supporting speeches were made by Govind Vallabh Pant, Dr. Khan Saheb, Asaf Ali and Ishwarlal Gulabbhai Desai. Thirty-five other Congress meetings were held throughout the Province, 16 being in the Belgaum district for which no particular reason is apparent. The two largest of these meetings, each attended by about 1,500 persons were held at Pathardi, Ahmed-nagar district and Gokak, Belgaum district. These meetings were similar in that P. H. Patwardhan and other unrestrained speakers suggested that men and money should not be provided for the prosecution of the war. The remaining meetings were small and unimportant. In Bombay City, two huge meetings were addressed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on December 18th and one by Moulana Abul Kalam Azad on December 19th. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru paid a tribute to the heroic resistance of China, Russia, Britain and America against aggression. There could be no doubt as to where the sympathies of the Congress lay when Russia, China and America were ranged on one side, but they should not forget their own freedom in expressing their sympathy. When India demanded freedom, he said, British statesmen and those who were responsible for running the Government had denied freedom to India. They were prepared to join hands with Britain as free men but not as slaves. Moulana Abul Kalam Azad pointed out that what really prevented the Congress from co-operation was the attitude of the British Government towards India's demand for freedom. After reviewing the political situation from the Congress stand-point, he said that the Congress would cooperate in the war efforts provided the British Government climbed down from their attitude. The August offer, he said, left the Congress with two alternatives (1) either to obey slavishly the behests of the British Government or (2) to resist its efforts to drag India into the war. The Congress preferred the latter course and requested Mr. Gandhi to take the lead. It would be now for the Working Committee of the Congress to decide the question as to the future policy of the Congress. In the end, he advised the people not to be panicky on hearing rumours of the 2 Congress Activities approach of the war to India, but to muster courage in the midst of difficulties and danger. Three small meetings were held at Bombay at which satyagrahis shouted anti-war slogans. The Bombay Provincial Congress Committee met on December 20th and passed a resolution reaffirming confidence in M. K. Gandhi and expressing the opinion that nothing that had happened since the launching of satyagraha called for any change in the Congress policy. In Maharashtra, G. A. Deshpande and D. K. Gosavi were elected to the A. I. C. C. on December 27th in the vacancies caused by the resignations of the two Royists, V. M. Tarkunde and A. N. Patil. About 100 women attended a meeting of the women's branch of the Rashtra Seva Dal, Poona, on December 27th over which Mrs. Indirabai Deodhar presided. Speeches were made on the value of the organization and women were exhorted to join. The Alibag Rashtra Seva Dal, Kolaba district, held their annual sports on December 27th, about 60 volunteers being present. Following recent Congress activities at Bardoli, meetings held under Congress auspices numbered 58, the largest being those held at Malad, Bombay Suburban district (4,000) on January 6th. Two meetings, each attended by about 600 persons, were held at Nasik, on December 21st and at Bhiwandi, Thana district, on January 1st. The attendance at the remaining 53 meetings was below 500. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Ahimsak Vyayam Mandal at Malad, Bombay Suburban district, on January 2nd and spoke on the present political situation to an audience of about 4,000. Referring to the recent resolution of the Congress Working Committee, he said that some of the facts regarding the session of the Working Committee were being distorted by certain sections of the press. It was not true that there had been a split between Congress and M. K. Gandhi. The Congress in its present form was the creation of Gandhi and could not afford to lose his guidance, Nehru himself had immense faith in Gandhi. He was of the opinion that India could not help Britain in fighting the war unless and until the question of India's freedom was satisfactorily solved. No subjugated country could work for the liberation of other countries. Speaking of defence he maintained that every man should defend himself and his property against aggression. For this reason he was prepared to discard the principle of non-violence in order to achieve freedom. Referring to the satyagraha campaign he said that M. K. Gandhi 3 Congress Activities might continue satyagraha on his own initiative and not on behalf of the Congress. He addressed another meeting (10,000) in Bombay on the same day and spoke on similar lines. He emphasised that there would be no change in the Congress policy unless Government revised their attitude. Babu Rajendra Prasad, addressing a meeting attended by about 1,000 persons in Surat City on January 6th, declared that lasting peace was an impossibility unless every country and every individual believed in non-violence. He then appealed to Congress workers to carry the Congress message into the most remote villages and to represent the benefits of cottage and village industries. T. S. Jadhav and other local speakers made speeches at a meeting attended by about 1,200 persons which was held at Sholapur on January 2nd. After referring to the Bardoli resolution they stated that Congress and Gandhi were inseparable and exhorted the audience to follow him and adhere to his constructive programme. B. G. Kher addressed 6 meetings with audiences ranging from 100 to 600 in Thana district when he spoke on the economic condition of India, the present war and other miscellaneous subjects. S. D. Deo addressed 2 meetings in East Khandesh district on January 1st and 3rd when he blamed Government for not changing their attitude towards India at the present critical stage of the war and advised people not to lose faith in the Congress on account of the Working Committee's decision and Gandhi's laissez-faire attitude. Thirteen meetings were held in the districts of Kolaba (4), Ratnagiri, Poona, East Khandesh (3), Nasik, Ahmednagar, Sholapur and Thana in connection with the annual celebrations of the local Rashtra Seva Dals. At all these meetings the objects of the society were explained and the audiences were urged to strengthen their local branches. People were advised to organise themselves and to eradicate communalism. At Bhiwandi, district Thana, on December 28th, S. M. Joshi spoke on the progress achieved by the Seva Dal and said that several branches of the Dal had been established in Maharashtra. He urged the audience to enlist as members. Private meetings of Congress workers of Ward Committees were held in different wards of Ahmedabad City to discuss the Citizens' Protection Scheme sponsored by the Ahmedabad City 4 Congress Activities Congress Committee.