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

200 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE
pression of the drink and drug traffic, etc. The question was
therefore raised by everyone as to what work would be left
for Congressmen and for Congress organisations in the
country. When the resolution regarding the constitution of
autonomous boards came up before the Subjects Committee,
there was considerable opposition, the feeling being that that
work should be done by the Congress organisations and not
by ad hoc bodies as proposed by the Mahatma. The resolution
was thereupon defeated. On behalf of the Left Wing, a
resolution was moved, by the writer, to the effect that the
Congress should aim at setting up a parallel Government
in the country and to that end, should take in hand the task
of organising the workers, peasants and youths. This resolu-
tion was also defeated, with the result that though the Con-
gress accepted the goal of complete independence as its
objective, no plan was laid down for reaching that goal—nor
was any programme of work adopted for the coming year.
A more ridiculous state of affairs could not be imagined, but,
in public affairs, we are sometimes inclined to lose not only
our sense of reality but our common sense as well. When the
time came for electing the Working Committee for the
coming year, the Mahatma came forward with a list of fifteen
names, from which the names of Mr. Srinivasa Iyengar, the
writer, and other Left-Wingers had been deliberately omitted.
There was a strong feeling in the All-India Congress Com-
mittee that at least the names of Mr. Iyengar and the writer
should be retained. But the Mahatma would not listen. He
said openly that he wanted a committee that would be
completely of one mind and he wanted his list to be passed
in its entirety. Once again it became a question of confidence
in the Mahatma and as the House did not want to repudiate
him, it had no option but to give in to his demand.
Altogether the Lahore Congress was a great victory for
the Mahatma. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, one of the most
prominent spokesmen of the Left Wing, was won over by
him and the others were excluded from the Working Com-
mittee. The Mahatma could henceforward proceed with his
own plans without fear of opposition within his Cabinet, and
whenever any opposition was raised outside his Cabinet, he