Santanam’s plain-speaking

WHATEVER one may think of Pandit K Santanam’s statement that “personal pique has had more to do with the step taken by Rajagopalachari and his friends than any question of principle,” there will be no two opinions regarding either the necessity or the desirability of the plain-speaking in which he indulged at the interview he recently gave to a representative of the Punjab Congress Publicity Bureau. Referring to Rajagopalachari’s plea that it is necessary to disobey the All-India Congress Committee, he said it was “quite untenable,” and that by taking the threatened step he “would be merely emulating the conduct of those members of the Swaraj party whom he has been so vehement in denouncing and would be responsible for bringing down the prestige of the Congress even more than they.” Even more important than this plain-speaking is the light which Santanam was able to throw on the probable support which the contemplated revolt would meet with among Congressmen. He characterised the declarations of Rajagopalachari and Shyam Sundar Chakravarty as “more or less personal opinion which has not much backing behind it” and added: “Of the Provinces that voted more or less solidly against the resolution, Behar, Gujarat, Karnatic, Andhra and Tamil are the most conspicuous. Of these, Behar and Andhra have definitely decided to abide by the Congress Committee’s decision. In Tamil Province, there is a good deal of difference of opinion among the workers, and in spite of Rajagopalachari’s presence, I do not think he would be supported by his colleagues.” There is much to be said for Santanam’s belief that even if the resolution is disobeyed, the disobedience will be confined to one or two Provinces only.  

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