THE SITUATION IN INDIA 23
The important feature of the incident that took place in December
1941 is, I think, not quite well-known to the Members of this House. There was a great schism at Bardoli between Mr. Gandhi and his followers who believed in non-violence out and out, and the other members of the Working Committee who did not believe in non-violence. The matter was put to issue at Wardha at a meeting of the All-India Congress Committee. Everybody in India, certainly the members of the Working Committee, expected that Mr. Gandhi would push the issue to a decision and cither have the Working Committee’s resolution passed at Bardoli rescinded or, if it was not possible for him to do so, tender his resignation. One of the most astounding things that Mr. Gandhi did at Wardha when the resolution came up for ratification before the All-India Congress Committee was that the apostle of non-violence instructed his followers not to carry the matter to a division. Not only that, he continued to associate himself with the Working Committee and continued to be its Commander-in-Chief. Sir, if that is not evidence that the Congress was saturated with a spirit of violence, right under the very nose of the Congress—Mr. Gandhi—I do not know what better evidence one could offer on that point.
There is another point which, I think, Honourable Members are not aware of and about which I would like to make some reference. It is not only a fact that almost all members of the Congress Working Committee—at any rate a great many of them—had ceased to have any faith in non-violence, a great many of them had become indifferent to the principle, but there is enough body of evidence to indicate that inside the Congress there was an attempt being made for a planned campaign of violence.
Sardar Sant Singh : So far as the war is concerned …….
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Please do not interrupt me.
Sardar Sant Singh : You are making mis-statements.
Some Honourable Members : It is not correct. There is no evidence.
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I am not making any inaccurate statement. I think there is one piece of evidence to which no reference has so far been made in the House, and I would like to make a reference to it.
An incident occurred at Deoli Detention Camp where
Mr. Jai Prakash Narain was kept. The House probably is aware that the Jail