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

178 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE
Towards the end of the year, when the Trade Union Congress
met at Jharia in the mining area, it was found that the Left
Wing had considerably increased their numbers and among
them, the Communists were a compact and well-disciplined
group. A new move was taken at this Congress in as much as
the Trade Union Congress was affiliated to the League against
Imperialism.¹
December was as usual a month of congresses and con-
ferences. The most important among them were the All-
India Youth Congress (which was going to hold its first
session), the All-Parties Convention and the Indian National
Congress. The Youth Congress was presided over by Mr.
K. F. Nariman, the Parsi leader from Bombay, who had
grown extremely popular with the Congress Left Wing. A
lawyer by profession, he was at first a Swarajist member of
the Bombay Legislative Council where he distinguished
himself as an able fighter. He, however, came into prominence
through his attempt to expose publicly the colossal waste of
money which had resulted from the Back Bay Reclamation
Scheme of the Bombay Government. He had to face a
defamation suit in a court of law because of the allegations
he made, but he came out of it with flying colours. Mr.
Nariman, since he came into prominence, continued to
uphold and give expression to extremist views until he was
made a member of the Congress Working Committee at the
instance of the Mahatma. The Youth Congress was important
in as much as it indicated the emergence of a new factor in
the public life of the country and gave expression to a mentality
somewhat different from that which prevailed within the
precincts of the National Congress.²
The All-Parties Convention held in Calcutta during the
¹ The League against Imperialism was at first declared to be a non-
Communist body and the Indian National Congress as well as the All-
India Trade Union Congress were affiliated to it. Later on when the
League became virtually a Communist body, the National Congress and
the Trade Union Congress ceased to affiliate themselves any longer.
² In his speech as the Chairman of the Reception Committee the writer
advocated activism, as opposed to the passivism which was being preached
from Sabarmati Ashrama of the Mahatma and Pondicherry Ashrama of
Sri Aurobindo Ghosh. He also pleaded for modernisation of the material
side of life. The speech caused resentment among the followers of the
Mahatma and of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh.