Congress and the National Party

THE statement issued to the Press by the representatives of the newly formed Indian National Party, who attended the meeting of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) at Ahmedabad, embodies more an expression of the desire of their party to devour the Congress without presenting a majority of persons who would subscribe to their view of things, than proposals as to the lines of which, in their opinion, inter-party unity is feasible. From their reported purpose of attending the AICC meeting, it appeared as though they were going there to suggest a via media in which it was practicable to reconcile diverging views. But in their statement, that purpose resolves itself into a demand for complete and unconditional surrender by the Congress of its position which is supported by a much larger number of people of the country than the following that can be claimed by any other party or any combination of other parties. Let us examine what are described by the National Party members as “the main obstacles in the way of our party and those who think with it from joining the Congress.”  In the first place, the National Party representatives demand a change in the Congress creed so as to exclude resort to mass civil disobedience or general non-payment of taxes, before they can join it. Without entering into a discussion of the merits of these methods, it would be interesting to observe how, while itself recognising the possible development of circumstances in which resort to the weapon of civil disobedience would be desirable in order to proceed with the struggle for national freedom, the National Party can wish to eliminate all possibility of such resort by excluding it from the Congress creed.