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

STORMY 1930 219
take personally such an assurance—or the indication
received from a responsible third party, that such an
assurance would be forthcoming—to Mr. Gandhi and to
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. If such an assurance were
offered and accepted, it would render possible a general
measure of conciliation which would entail simultaneous
calling off of the civil-disobedience movement, the cessation
of the Government's present repressive policy and a
generous measure of amnesty for political prisoners, and
would be followed by the participation of the Congress in
the Round Table Conference on terms to be mutually
agreed upon.'
This statement was sent by Mr. Slocombe to Sir Tej
Bahadur Sapru and Mr. M. R. Jayakar, with a view to interest-
ing them in the cause of peace. Both of them took up the
matter enthusiastically and waited upon Lord Irwin for the
purpose in the early part of July. They obtained permission
to interview Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Motilal and Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru in prison. On July 23rd and 24th they met
the Mahatma in Yeravada Prison and with his memorandum,
they met the two Pandits in Naini Prison near Allahabad on
July 28th. The Pandits said among other things that no final
word could be given without personal consultation with
Mahatma Gandhi. With the Nehrus' memorandum, Mr.
Jayakar again saw the Mahatma on July 31st. Orders were
then given for the Pandits to be taken from Naini Prison to
Yeravada Prison. On August 13th, 14th and 15th, consul-
tations took place in Yeravada Prison at which were present
the two peacemakers, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Motilal and
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mrs. Sarojini Naidu and Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel. A joint statement was issued by the
Congress leaders on August 15th, stating that no solution
would be acceptable to them or to the Congress which did
not guarantee the following points:

1. India's right to secede at will.
2. Grant of a national government responsible to the
   people including control of defence and finance.
3. India's right to submit to an impartial scrutiny the
   so-called public debt of India.