द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

204 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE ‘We hold it to be a crime against man and God to submit any longer to a rule that has caused this fourfold disaster to our country. We recognise, however, that the most effective way of gaining our freedom is not through violence. We will therefore prepare ourselves by with- drawing, so far as we can, all voluntary association from the British Government, and will prepare for civil disobedience, including non-payment of taxes. We are convinced that if we can but withdraw our voluntary help and stop payment of taxes without doing violence even under provocation, the end of this inhuman rule is assured. We therefore hereby solemnly resolve to carry out the Congress instruc- tions issued from time to time for the purpose of establish- ing Purna Swaraj.’ The reports from different parts of the country showed that the Independence Day celebrations were a great success. Unprecedented enthusiasm was exhibited everywhere and the Mahatma felt that he could go ahead with a dynamic pro- gramme. But just at this moment the practical politician in him asserted itself. While starting the civil disobedience campaign he wanted to leave the door open for a compromise and he realised that the independence resolution of the Congress might prove to be a stumbling-block. He also felt that some of his wealthy supporters—the Indian capitalists —were alarmed at the resolutions of the Lahore Congress. Some sort of explaining away was therefore necessary, parti- cularly in view of the fact that the word ‘independence’ implied severance of the British connection. On January 30th he issued a statement in his paper, Young India, saying that he would be content with the ‘substance of independence’ and he mentioned eleven points to explain what he meant ‘by that expression. At the same time he virtually gave up the use of the word ‘independence’ and substituted in its place the more elastic expression, ‘substance of indepen- dence,’ or another expression especially coined by him— namely, ‘Purna Swaraj,’ which he could interpret in his own way. The eleven points enunciated by him had a re- assuring effect on all circles that had been alarmed by the idea of independence and they paved the way for lengthy negoti-