Bombay,
18th March, 1920
DEAR MR. SASTRI,
As I took an active part in the Congress affairs last year I have
been asked to interest myself still more actively to the extent of
joining an organization. The demand has come from those with whom
I have had the privilege of working although I was not connected with
their organization. They have asked me to join the All-India Home
Rule League.1 I have told them that at my time of life
and with views firmly formed on several matters I could only join
an organization to affect its policy and not be affected by it. This
does not mean that I would not keep or that I do not have an open
mind to receive new light. I simply wish to emphasise the fact that
any new light will have to be specially dazzling in order to entrance
me. I placed before the friends the following points on which I hold
decided views:
- Highest honesty must be introduced in the political life of
the country if we are to make our mark as a nation. This presupposes
at the present moment a very firm and definite acceptance of the
creed of Truth at any cost.
- Swadeshi must be our immediate goal. The future aspirants after
membership of the council should be asked to pledge themselves
to an out and out protection of the country's industries - specially
cloth manufacture.
- efinite acceptance of Hindustani—a resultant of Hindi
and Urdu as a National Language of intercourse in the immediate
future. The would- be members will be therefore pledged so to
work in the Imperial Councils as to introduce Hindustani and in
the Local Councils the respective vernaculars at least as an optional
medium for the time being till we are able to dispense with English
for the conduct of National Affairs. They will also be pledged
to introduce Hindustani as a compulsory second language in our
schools with Devanagari or Urdu as an optional script. English
will be recognized as a language of imperial intercourse, diplomacy
and international commerce.
- Acceptance of the principles of redistribution of provinces
so far as possible on a linguistic basis at the earliest opportunity.
- Hindu-Mohamedan Unity in its essence and from a political and
religious standpoint as an unalterable article of faith. This
contemplates mutual help, mutual toleration and recognition of
the sufferings of one section to be the sufferings of all. This
will exclude, from the official programme of the League, the Unity
propaganda by means of inter dining and intermarriage and will
include vigorous co¬operation on the Khilafat question. In
my discussions amongst the friends I have also told them that
I will not think of asking for official recognition of my creed
of civil disobedience and that I do not belong to any party and
would like to make the League a non-party organization helping
all honest men if they are otherwise capable of doing justice
to the service they may choose irrespective of party. The League,
according to my opinion, cannot become an anti- Congress organization
but it should work as it is now doing to further the interests
of the Congress.
Do you advise me, knowing me as you do with my qualifications and limitations, to join the League?
Yours sincerely,
M.K. Gandhi
Letters of Srinivasa Sastri, pp. 69-71
1 Organized by Mrs Besant
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