“Unless you adopt an all-party form of government, you are paving the way towards
sowing Hindu-Muslim conflict after the British protection is
withdrawn. It was not non-violence but your tremendous magnetism
plus the backing of British bayonet that kept the Congress in power.
Try non-violence without the latter for two or three months, and the
truth of the above will be realized."
Thus writes an esteemed correspondent. I have no difficulty in
endorsing the remark that it was the British bayonet that kept the
Congress ministries in power. My 'magnetism' may have had something
to do with the victory at the polls. But it proved utterly useless
to keep ministries in power. The sustaining force was the British
bayonet. This only shows that the people at large have not yet
imbibed the lesson of non-violence.
The remedy is not an all-party government. Such will be no
government of the people for the people. It will be the government -
of a caucus for its own ends. The caucus will have no smoother
sailing than the Congress ministries had. It will also have to rely
upon the British bayonet. There can be no manly peace in the land
unless the British bayonet is withdrawn. The risk of riots has to be
run. Non-violence will be born out of such risks, if at all it is to
be part of national life. It is daily becoming crystal clear that
real unity will not come so long as the British bayonet crushes the
free spirit of the people. The peace it imposes is the peace of the
grave. I feel that riots will be a welcome relief, if that is the
price we have to pay for freedom. For out of them I can conceive the
possibility of peace coming, not out of the present unreality. The
way out of riots on the one hand and British bayonets on the other
is frank acceptance of non-violence. To this my life is dedicated,
and my faith in its possibility and efficacy will survive the
dissolution of my body.
On the train to Wardha, 3-3-'40
Harijan, 9-3-1940