भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

and the ‘individual acts’ a screen to hide the Government anomalies in the
hands of Mr. Bonarlaw. Botha is a prime minister and Redmond the
constituted Leader of a Parliamentary Party and yet they released their own
opponents and actual rebels, against their Governments. But the
Congressmen think they are ‘responsible men’! The pariah that stands
begging at the city gate is more responsible citizen and belongs to a higher
caste than the Sheriff and the Chairman of the city itself! So, in the future
resolultion and articles, this point should be clearly and definitely pressed
that ‘political prisoners means all those undergoing imprisonment whether
convicted or not, whether for individual acts or acts in general’ (I indeed
fail to understand it altogether!)—for actions which proceeded from purely
and admittedly political motives.’ The term political can be distinguished
from private only by the criterion of the motive of the act and not by the act
itself. No act is or can be by itself political. For, even a rebellion if that
proceeds entirely for my own bread and butter is not political and ought not
to create any sympathy in others, unless indeed my cause was only a case in
hand and was fought out for establishing a general privilege or in
vindicating of a general right. The thugs fought battles and were not political
in the sense of sacrificing for the general good. But even the arson cases or
flogging the prime ministers by a suffragist in England had been recognised
by the British Government itself as political because the motive was neither
personal aggrandisement nor revenge but the advancement of some social
good. The means may be wrong, even criminal or not, the motive counts so
far as the moral value, and here national aspect of the act is concerned. I
write this with special stress for the reason that in case of an amnesty being
granted—which I expect not—this point will be a stumbling block in our
path, for the Government might adopt some anomalous distinction and
interprete the term in any sense convenient to them but not just in itself. Try
your best to make this clear to all you can approach and let our journalists
and leaders keep this constantly before them.
(a) Please do write to me in your letter whenever any of the provincial
conferences have passed any resolution to this effect, whether last year’s
Congress had deliberated on it in the subjects committee; how many papers
write wholeheartedly about it, and if something could be done in this year’s
Congress. When you write about it only mention those cases in which the
general amnesty is asked and not only that of a few interned etc.