Mahatmaji’s offer

Lahore, Saturday, September 6, 1924

THE speech made by Mahatma Gandhi at a meeting of the Congress Committee at Mandvi, a telegraphic summary of which appeared in these columns yesterday, throws a flood of interesting light both upon the recent conversations between him and Annie Besant, and the letter he sent to the Swarajist leaders through Sarojini Naidu on the eve of their conference in Calcutta. In both cases, he has been represented as having advocated and striven for unity. A passionate longing for unity is the keynote of his address to the Congress Committee. Speaking of the two parties in the Congress, he said that “they should not fight amongst themselves but must unite.” He himself did not want to fight, he said, and admitted his defeat. It was India’s misfortune that they had differences which were retarding their progress, he added. He had written to Pandit Motilal Nehru that he was not going to fight but had laid down his arms. All that he wanted was universal spinning, Hindu-Muslim unity and the removal of untouchability, on which independence rested. These words were uttered with particular reference to the two Congress parties, but the context in which they were uttered leaves no room for doubt that they are intended to have much wider application, and, in fact, refer to all political parties in India which believe in self-government as India’s goal and want to achieve that goal by peaceful, legitimate and honourable means. Looking at the mater from this point of view, we have no hesitation in saying that the speech of the Mahatma on this occasion is one of the most momentous that he has ever made.