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

268 · THE INDIAN STRUGGLE
should pay up their dues pending negotiations. The peasants
demanded, on the contrary, that pending negotiation, the
collection should be suspended. At this stage the Provincial
Congress Committee approached Sardar V. Patel, the Con-
gress President, and Mahatma Gandhi, who was then in
Europe, for advice. The Mahatma left it to the Committee
to do as they thought best. The Peasants' League (Kishan
League) of the United Provinces then took the matter in
hand and informed the Congress Committee that if they did
not start the no-rent campaign—it would be launched by the
Kishan League. Faced with the possibility of losing its hold
on the masses, the Provincial Congress Committee decided
to commence the no-rent campaign. Immediately this was
done, an ordinance was issued for suppressing that campaign.
A large number of arrests was made under the ordinance
and about the middle of December, when Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru and Mr. Sherwani were leaving Allahabad for Bombay,
to make preparations for the reception of the Mahatma, they
were arrested in the train.
As has been stated at the beginning of this chapter, on
December 28th, 1931, Bombay city was en fête for the reception
of India's beloved leader. Never was a king or a victorious
general given a warmer welcome. A hostile demonstration
was attempted by the followers of Dr. Ambedkar as also by
the local Communist Party—but the smallness of it only
served to throw into bolder relief the tremendous hold
which the Mahatma had over the masses. The next day the
Congress Working Committee met and authorised Mahatma
Gandhi to apply for an interview¹ with the Viceroy and
accordingly he sent the following telegram:
'I was unprepared on landing yesterday to find the
Frontier and the U.P. Ordinances, shootings in the Frontier
and arrests of valued comrades in both and on the top, the
Bengal Ordinance awaiting me. I do not know whether I
am to regard these as an indication that friendly relations
¹ The writer, who was one of those invited to attend this meeting of
the Working Committee, expressed the opinion that in the circumstances
it would be humiliating for the Mahatma to apply for an interview. But
all the others present thought differently.