- I shall relate briefly how I tried to carry out my new and active programme as mentioned above along with Mr. Apte and others and how I lost faith in the efficiency of that work also and left Mr. Apte and others who co-operated with me in it how it was that after leaving
them all, its retired to myself in a secluded place, ‘sat brooding intensely on the atrocities perpetrated on Hindudism and its dark and deadly future if it was left to face ‘(Muslimism outside and Gandhism inside and under what latest exasperating actions of Gandhiji I decided all of a sudden to take extreme step against Gandhiji without letting my intention being known to anyone else except myself and without seeking co-operation from any one.
- I shall first set out the circumstances that led me to resort to the extreme step, The background to the event that occurred on the 30th of January 1948 was wholly and exclusively political and I should like to explain it at some length. The fact that Gandhiji honoured: the religious books of Hindus, Muslims and other faiths alike or that he used to recite during his prayers verses from the Geeta as well as” from the Quran and the bible never provoked any ill-feeling in me. To my mind it is not objectionable to study comparative religions.
- The territory bounded by the North West Frontier in the North down to Cape Comorin in the South and the area between Karachi and Assam, that is, the whole of pre-partition ‘India has always been to my mind my Motherland. In this area, there live people of several faiths, but I hold the view that these various schools of religious thought should have full and equal freedom of or following their-respective faiths and beliefs. In ‘this territory the Hindus are numerically more predominant than men of other religions; the Hindus have no place which they can call the own’ beyond or but side this country, and Hindusthan is thus both-the Mother= land and Holy-land for the Hindus from times immemorial.
To Hindus largely, this country naturally owes its fame and glory, culture and. art, knowledge, science and philosophy. Next to the Hindus, ‘the Muslims are numerically predominant. The Muslims made systematic inroads into this country since the tenth century and gradually succeeded in establishing Muslim rule over the greater part of India.
- Before the advent of British rule the Muhammedans had come to realize that the Muslims could not remain as master. Owing to the rise of the Maharattas, the revolt of the vajputs and the uprising of on the country had become very the Sikhs, the Muslim hold loose, and while the Muslims still continued to aspire for supremacy all practical people had seen that such hopes were futile. The British proved to be more powerful than either the Hindus or the Muslims and having adopted improved methods of administration – particularly the security of life and property – which they could enforce all over the” country both Hindus and Muhammedans were persuaded to accept the inevitable. It is not true that the British created all the differences between the Hindus and the Muslims. But never the less it is a fact that to serve or achieve their own ends the British made the most unscrupulous use of the differences which already existed between the two communities and also created new ones, The Indian National Congress which was started with the object of winning power for the people in the governance of the country had from the beginning realized and insisted that Indian should share power in the Government of the country on the basis of complete nationalism and democracy. The ideal of-over-throwing foreign rule from the land and of securing for the people all power and authority in the governance of the country appealed most to me from the very start of my public career.
- In my writings and speeches I have always advocated that religion and communal considerations 4 whether in the Legislatures, elections or cabinet-making should be entirely eschewed in the public apse of the country. I have throughout stood for a secular State with joint electorates and to my mind this is the only true national ideal. Under the influence of the Indian National Congress this ideal was steadily making headway amongst the Hindus. But the Muslims as a community continued to cherish the fanatical ambition of dominating the Hindus in India. Encouraged and instigated by the British, the Muslims began to make a demand for separate electorates; No wonder the British Government succeeded to demand but the congress Party while verbally opposing the notorious formula of neither accepting nor rejecting.
- This originated the demand for separatism. It was the thin end of the wedge, logical result of which has been the Pakistan. But as it was considered expedient for fighting the British power, credulous Hindu people did not in the beginning take these demands of the Muslims as either unpatriotic or traitorous to the country in the hope that separatism will eventually disappear.
- Although I advocated joint electorates, but still if the Muslims were keen on having separate ‘electorates, I was prepared to concede this demand, howsoever undesirable it was in my Eagle, provided the representation which the Muslims were given was to be in strict proportion to their population and no one more if injustice to others was to be avoided. I have un informally put forward this view in my speeches and writings.
- Encouraged throughout by British Imperialists and increasingly acquiesced in by the Congress under the leadership of Gandhiji, the Muslim League went on increasing its demands and favoring separatism, and grew popular. This was often proved by the results of elections when the majority of the Muslims. Supported is League candidates. The under- lying purpose of the demands of the Muslim League was to avoid linking the interest of the Muslims with those of the majority of the people of this country.
- Hindu leaders quite naturally desired that in their fight against the British power in India they should secure the co-operation and help of the Muslims and other non-Hindus and it was on that account that despite great Hesitation they conceded the Muslim demands however ‘unreasonable, anti-national and undemocratic. The agreement between the two communities which is commonly known as
Lucknow Pact” of 1916 was the outcome of this feeling. BOs since the year 1920, that is to say, after the demise of Lokmanya Tilak, ‘Gandhi ji’s influence on the Congress and in Indian politics became predominant. There can hardly be any doubt that Gandhi jab pen the work of accelerating the political awakening all over the country in a phenomenal manner by ostentatiously basing it on “truth and non- violence”, No educated or sensible person could possibly object to these methods. In fact there is nothing new or original in them. They are implicit in every constitutional public movement, subject to the qualification that while truth and non-violence must be constantly kept before our minds in all that we do, it will be an error sometimes a dangerous one to imagine that the bulk of mankind is capable of scrupulous adherence to them in their normal life, In fact, honour, duty and love of one’s kith and kin and country might often require us to disregard non-violence and to use force. ‘I could never conceived that an denied resistance to aggressions either wrong or immoral when one has to fight an enemy who is violent aggressive and un just I would always consider it a religious and duty to resist such aggression, Shree Ramchaddar killed Ravana in a tumultuous fight; Shree Krishna killed Kansa in his Raj Sabha, In the Mahabhart , Arjuna bed to fight numerous warriors including the great and highly Respected Bhishma and drona had to succumb to the arrows of Arjuna. It is my firm belief that to dub Rama and Krishna who have made history as violent is to betray a total ignorance of the springs of human action. It was the heroic fight put up by Chhatra Pati Shivaji Maharaja that checked and ultimately.
It was absolutely correct tactics at the destroyed Muslim tyranny in fighting an enemy when Shivaji killed Afzal Khan meeting he had with him. In describing Shivaji Rana is Pratap and Guru Govind Singh as misguided patriots, Gandhi ji has simply displayed his self- conceit.
Each of these heroes resisted unprovoked aggression on their country protected the people against atrocities and outrages all that Gandhi ji did and won back their mother-land from the invader during over 30 years of undisputed leadership was to shut his eyes to the desecration of temples, to forcible and fraudulent conversions and outrages of women and to lose one third of the country. I must declare that Gandhi ji with all his greatness was a pigmy before these giants and his condemnation of these heroes was, to say the least, most presumptuous,
11: The clique who has got into power by a cowardly surrender to Pakistan at the point of Mr, Jinnah’s bayonet may try Pees to- exploit Gandhi ji are a hundred hectic ways, but history will give him his proper Piece in fame, that is, that Gandhi ji was paradoxical as it may appear – a violent pacifist who brought untold calamities on his country and the name of fighting for freedom, While Rana Pratap, Chhatra Pati Shivaji and Guru Gobind Singh will remain enshrined in the hearts of their countrymen forever and forever.
12: As pointed out here in below the political career-of Gandhi ji can be conveniently divided into three parts. He returned to India from England by the end of December 1914 and plunged into the public life of the country according to his own point of view. , Unfortunately, soon after his arrival in this UNR Sire Pherozeshaw Mehta and Mr .G .K. Gokhale the latter of whom Gandhi ji called his Guru, died within a short space of a few months. He started on his own way and established an Ashram in Ahmedabad on the banks of Sabarmati River; from that place he directed.
