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

234 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE
were defeated as we were sure to be, our opposition would be
futile. If we succeeded in throwing out the Pact—which was
unlikely in the circumstances—but failed to carry on a more
vigorous campaign, the country would not gain by our
opposition. Moreover, the execution of Sardar Bhagat Singh
and his comrades had to be considered. The Government
had sufficient cognisance of the situation in the country to
realise that the execution on the eve of the Congress was
likely to create a split in the Congress and would considerably
strengthen the position of the anti-Pact Party. If the
Government were so anxious to create a split, there was
something to be said in favour of avoiding it. In times of
crises, a party has sometimes to stand by its leaders even when
it is known that they are committing a blunder. This was
the first occasion for an agreement between the Nationalist
leaders and the Government. If the rank and file of the
Party repudiated the leaders after they had entered into an
agreement, that would be damaging to the prestige not only
of the leaders, but also of the Party itself. The Government
would in future be able to say that it is of no use to have
any negotiations with the leaders because they are likely to
be repudiated by their followers. After duly weighing all
these considerations, we decided that a statement should be
made to the effect that the Left Wing of the Congress did not
approve of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, but that in view of the
circumstances prevailing at the time, they would refrain
from dividing the House. This statement was made by me
before the Subjects Committee of the Congress and was
received with great jubilation by the supporters of the Pact,
while it caused disappointment to our more enthusiastic
supporters.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel presided over the Congress. In
his opening speech he gave the go-by to the Lahore resolution
on Independence and advocated Dominion Status for India.
Much of his speech was devoted to agrarian grievances and to
social and economic reforms, necessary for the uplift of the
country. Among the resolutions adopted at the Congress was
one appreciating the courage and self-sacrifice of Sardar
Bhagat Singh and his comrades, while condemning all acts of