Gandhi and the Raj~ II

As long as the British Empire held supreme power which seemed undefeatable, his subservience to it in India remained a subject's allegiance to the authority. In the First World War, he had a firm conviction that the mighty empire would come out victorious and then grant freedom to India within the Empire. From the 1940s, the entire situation started taking a new turn

- NANDALAL CHAKRABARTI The writer is former Head of the Department of Political Science, Presidency College, Kolkata

We all know that failure of the Cripps Mission to offer any advance towards self-rule and growing discontent among the people were the immediate factors leading to the Quit India Movement in 1942. But, there was a story behind the story. Gandhi had already had a change of heart in regard to the British Empire in the late 1930s. At that time he decided to wait till the heat of the battle webbed, instead of continuing his unconditional co-operation with the Raj. This is because, at this point, he thought that Britain was losing the war.

It is significant that in September 1940, in his speech at the A.I.C.C. meeting, Gandhi said, "...the position today is such that if we do nothing, our very existence will be imperiled..." [CWG Vol. 73]. Thus, he clearly advised Congressmen to take an active position against the British India government rather than passively watching how they were dragged into the war.

He expressed anger at Viceroy Linlithgow's declaration that India was with Britain in the war. He questioned why he made such a declaration unilaterally. He [the Viceroy] could have at least 'kept Congress out of it'. But, the Viceroy did not do so. Under the circumstances, he urged the Congress to make its opposition known; otherwise they would cease to exist.

The man who decided to assist the British Empire in the Boer war, and back home, in 1918, went on a drive for recruiting Indians as soldiers of the British army, was now steadfastly opposing Britain in the Second World War.