The next step
NOW that the Swarajists have succeeding in killing dyarchy in two provinces, a question that has to be asked and answered by everyone who has an active interest in the country’s political wellbeing is, what is to be the next step, either for the Government or for the Swarajists themselves? So far as the latter are concerned, the question was asked by CR Das in his speech, but, as far as we have been able to see, was left unanswered. All that he said in fact was this: “My friends who put the question to me think that the Council is everything in this country. It is not… even the Conservative Government must see that there is such a thing as the will of the people and that in the end the will of the people must be carried out… I am for giving effect to the will of the people. That will must be declared often and often in as many ways as the will of the people may “be declared.” This is quite unexceptionable as far as it goes, but it clearly conveys no definite idea to anyone’s mind as to what precisely Das proposes to do. So far as the Council is concerned, it is obvious that he and his party will go on offering unflinching opposition to the Government whenever an opportunity arises. But such opportunities will arise less often when the transferred subjects are re-transferred than they have done during the last four years. Besides, as Das fully recognises, such opposition by itself cannot take the country much farther than it has already done. The really important question is what the Swarajists are going to do outside the Council; and here the only programmes before the country are the orthodox non-cooperation programme and Das’ own village reconstruction programme.
