Pandit Motilal Nehru’s leadership

THERE is no one among the political leaders of India at the present time whose leadership is more inspired by a due measure of idealism and a due sense of what is attainable than that of Pandit Motilal Nehru. The interview he gave to an Associated Press representative at Bombay on his way back from Belgaum, and of which a telegraphic account appeared in our last issue, will take nothing from his reputation in this respect. On all three important points affecting his party and his country, on which the interviewer sought his opinion, he had something both definite and profitable to say. On the question of the Swarajists accepting office, he made two interesting statements; first, that the Swaraj party in the Central Provinces, or for that matter in any other province, could not possibly take office without the express permission of the central organisation and that no such permission had been given; secondly, that so far as he was aware, no occasion had arisen to reconsider the question of accepting office. This settles the immediate issue. The one point on which it throws no light is whether the matter is going to be considered at the Nagpur conference and any hypothetical conclusions arrived with regard to it. To us it is not clear that even the central organisation of the party is by itself morally competent to arrive at a decision in this matter. As far as our recollection goes, the leaders of the party gave the country to understand on the eve of the election that so long as the demands of the country in the matter of self-government were not substantially conceded, the non-acceptance of office was to be a part of their fundamental policy.